RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Screening for secondary traumatic stress (STS) is lacking in China. It is unclear whether Western models of STS can be adapted satisfactorily for use in non-Western regions. The 20-item Secondary Trauma Questionnaire (STQ) is a self-report measure of traumatic stress symptoms in individuals who have been influenced indirectly by suicide or violent injury of people important to the respondents. METHODS: Here, we assessed the psychometric properties of a newly developed Chinese version of the STQ in a potentially traumatized sample (N = 875) composed of doctors, nurses, teachers, civic administration staff, and social workers in China. We performed reliability and validity analyses. Subsequently, we split the total sample into two subsamples for exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) for measurement invariance analyses. RESULTS: The full scale demonstrated good internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.95-0.97), convergent validity, discriminant validity, and factorial validity. CFA affirmed a one-factor structure; the configural, metric, scalar, and strict invariances of the STQ were acceptable across genders. CONCLUSION: The present results indicate that the STQ is a reliable and valid self-report assessment for use with potentially traumatized people in China, and further supports the notion that the STQ is amenable to additional future cross-cultural adaptation.
RESUMO
Posttraumatic growth (PTG) is defined as positive psychological change in the wake of highly challenging circumstances. Healthcare workers in particular are more vulnerable to stressors and trauma than the general population. The current study examined the use and effectiveness of a novel positive psychological intervention based on Chinese traditional culture to improve PTG in hospital healthcare workers. The intervention was provided to 579 healthcare workers at hospitals in Guilin, Shenzhen and Xiangtan. Scores on the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI) and its subscales were significantly higher after intervention than before (p < 0.001). Of the five aspects of PTG, the aspect of "new possibilities" benefited the most from intervention (Cohen's d = 0.45). PTG in women, nurses and college graduates increased to a greater extent than other participants after intervention. It was concluded that our novel intervention is effective at improving PTG in medical staff.
