Posttraumatic Stress among Undergraduate Emergency Nursing Students

Undergraduate emergency nursing students are often exposed to stress when helping patients in emergency situations. Emergency nursing students are vulnerable to the development of symptoms of post-traumatic stress Disorder (PTSD). Stress reactions among helpers can be regarded as a natural behavior and reaction when experiencing a traumatizing event and by the stress resulting from helping or wanting to help a traumatized or distressed person. Any trauma exposure can trigger post traumatic stress disorder. Selley reiterates that health workers as well as primary victims are at risk of developing PTSD. The aim of this study was to examine posttraumatic stress among undergraduate emergency nursing students. Methods: The sample of this study consisted of 250 undergraduate students attended and studied emergency nursing course during the period from February till May 2009. Two instruments were used to measure reactions to traumatic events, Impact of Event Scale Revised (IES-R) and the Post Traumatic Symptom Scale (PTSDS). Results: Of those who reported a traumatic situation the majority of them scored 30 or more on the IES-R subscale. Scores over 30 indicate a stress reaction with certain likelihood of post-traumatic disorder. On the PTSDS-subscale the majority of students scored 5 or more, which indicates a relative strong reaction. Conclusion: The high prevalence of post-traumatic stress in undergraduate emergency nursing students indicates an inability to cope with stress in daily life. [Hayam I. A. Asfour and Fatma Hussein Ramadan. Posttraumatic Stress among Undergraduate Emergency Nursing Students. Journal of American Science 2011; 7(6):997-1004]. (ISSN: 1545-1003). http://www.americanscience.org.