Network analysis of secondary traumatic stress, coping, and post-traumatic growth in frontline healthcare workers during COVID-19 outbreak

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Abstract Frontline workers constitute a distinctively vulnerable characteristic due to their close observation of the sufferings of others. Drawing on Lazarus and Folkman's coping model, this study investigates the interplay of coping, secondary traumatic stress, and post-traumatic growth in the context of frontline workers working in COVID-19 wards. To explore this objective the secondary traumatic stress scale (STSS), post-traumatic growth inventory short form (PTGI-SF), and coping styles scale (CSS) were administered to a sample of 290 participants including doctors and paramedics (n = 142 men, n = 121 women) by using purposive sampling and snowball sampling techniques. Data was analyzed using the network analysis technique. The results of this study revealed that problem-focused coping and post-traumatic growth had the strongest positive connection in the network. Node centrality was evaluated by strength, betweenness, and closeness. The network comparison test showed a significant network invariance in sex difference. The study discussed the significance of utilizing and tailoring coping strategies to promote post-traumatic growth amidst stressful situations. Findings also suggested that problem-focused coping strategies could be more effective in fostering growth and reducing trauma. However, the reliance on self-reported measures, snowball sampling, and the limited scope of the sample are limitations of this study.