The prevalence and factors of posttraumatic growth among nurses based on the PTGI: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

Abstract Background The urgency and risk of clinical nursing may cause nurses to experience traumatic stress, but it may also lead to posttraumatic growth. However, no study has comprehensively analyzed the prevalence of posttraumatic growth among nurses using a unified outcome measure and a validated assessment tool. Aim This study aims to systematically assess the prevalence and factors of posttraumatic growth among nurses based on the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI). Methods Ten databases, including The Cochrane Library, PubMed, Web of Science, CINAHL, Springerlink, Embase, Chinese Biomedical (CBM), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), WanFang, and VIP databases, were searched as of December 31, 2022. The prevalence of posttraumatic growth was pooled using Stata 17.0 software. The PRISMA guideline was used to report the systematic review and meta‐analysis. PROSPERO registration number: CRD42022365620. Results A total of 30 studies were included in this systematic review and meta‐analysis, consisting of 14,022 nurses worldwide from four countries. In our study, the pooled mean score of posttraumatic growth among nurses was 66.34 (95% CI: 61.25–71.43). From 2015 to 2022, nurses’ posttraumatic growth levels gradually increased. In addition, Turkey nurses have the lowest posttraumatic growth levelnurses who experienced workplace violence have a lower posttraumatic growth level compared with other nurses; while nurses aged over 30 and male have higher posttraumatic growth levels. Conclusions While several studies on the prevalence of posttraumatic growth among nurses have been published, the reported data are quite different. Our systematic review and meta‐analysis found that nurses’ posttraumatic growth level was “moderate,” and nurses’ posttraumatic growth may vary based on publication year, country, traumatic event, age, and gender. Implications for nursing and health policy Our findings may provide a theoretical basis for hospital administrators and policy makers to scientifically manage human resources, comprehensively evaluate nurses’ mental health, and promote nurses’ posttraumatic growth in different traumatic events, which is conducive to the formulation and implementation of relevant policy guidelines.