The Effects of Alexithymia, Overtime Hours and Peritraumatic Dissociation on Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms in Nurses

Deegan, C J (2022) The Effects of Alexithymia, Overtime Hours and Peritraumatic Dissociation on Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms in Nurses. Master thesis, Psychology.

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Abstract

Background: Research indicates possible links between alexithymia, specifically the facet difficulty identifying feelings, and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder symptoms. Preliminary research during the COVID-19 pandemic indicated that healthcare workers have worked more hours since the outbreak began, furthermore that the pandemic has been linked to greater alexithymia in this population. Additionally, several studies have identified that alexithymia and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder symptoms may be linked to the construct peritraumatic dissociation, though the specific interaction between these variables is unclear. Methods: We distributed a self-report questionnaire to COVID-19 nurses (n = 227) to assess difficulty identifying feelings, peritraumatic dissociation and overtime hours at T0 and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder symptoms at T1, three months later. Results: Results indicate that peritraumatic dissociation mediates the relationship between difficulty identifying feelings and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder symptoms in this sample. Overtime hours did not appear to moderate the relationship between difficulty identifying feelings and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder symptoms in this sample. Discussion: Interventions should consider difficulty identifying feelings and peritraumatic dissociation when treating and screening for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Monitoring nurses over a sufficient time period may help identify vulnerable groups and tailor interventions to this population, especially considering some Posttraumatic Stress Disorder interventions can be difficult to apply to healthcare workers.

Item Type:	Thesis (Master)
Supervisor name:	Daniels, J.K.
Degree programme:	Psychology
Differentiation route:	Clinical Forensic Psychology and Victimology (FP) [Master Psychology]
Date Deposited:	01 Jun 2022 15:48
Last Modified:	01 Jun 2022 15:48
URI:	http://gmwpublic.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/490

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