Functional and Workplace Impairment: The Role of Specific Symptom Clusters of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Among Nurses.

BACKGROUND

Nurses face heightened risks of developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) due to occupational stressors, with prevalence rates significantly higher than the general population before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although PTSD symptoms are known to impair various domains of functioning, research examining which specific PTSD symptom clusters most strongly impact nurses' functioning remains limited.

AIMS: This study examines how individual PTSD symptom clusters relate to overall functioning and distracted practice, a measure of workplace functioning, in nurses with probable PTSD.

METHODS

We examined relationships between PTSD symptoms and functioning among 420 U.S. nurses recruited through social media platforms in late 2021. Participants completed validated measures assessing PTSD symptom clusters (PTSD Checklist for DSM-5), anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale), depression (Patient Health Questionnaire), general psychosocial functioning (The Brief Inventory of Psychosocial Functioning), and a proxy measure for workplace functioning (Distracted Practice Scale), with hierarchical regression analyses used to evaluate the unique contributions of PTSD symptom clusters to functional outcomes while controlling for demographic, workplace, and mental health variables.

RESULTS

PTSD symptom clusters accounted for significant additional variance in both general functional impairment (9.5%) and occupational impairment (9.3%), beyond demographic, workplace, and other mental health variables. For general psychosocial impairment, PTSD cluster D, negative alterations in cognition and mood, and cluster E, arousal symptoms, were the most impactful, whereas PTSD cluster B, reexperiencing, and cluster D were most strongly associated with workplace functional impairments. Final models revealed that education level predicted general psychosocial impairment while years of nursing experience predicted impairments in workplace functioning.

LINKING EVIDENCE TO ACTION: Nurses with PTSD during the COVID-19 pandemic faced significant impairments in overall and work functioning. Our findings highlight that PTSD symptoms vary in how they impact functioning. Symptom clusters such as negative mood, arousal, and reexperiencing were linked to worsened functioning. Tailored support programs should address specific PTSD symptoms.