Positive Post Traumatic Growth in Iranian Nurses Who Served in War Zones

Post-traumatic growth or Positive Posttraumatic Changes refers to development of an individual’s experience involving accidents or incidents etc., as a result of coping with trauma, war, tragedy etc. (collectively known as stressors).  This issue has wide-ranging consequences on the economy, society, culture, and psychology. Military nurses deployed to war zones face the dual pressure of providing healthcare and being involved in military activities. The study sought to assess post-traumatic growth among nurses deployed to war zones. This qualitative study was conducted at the Baqiyatallah Nursing Faculty, Tehran, Iran, using the conventional content analysis approach from 2021 to 2023. Data were collected through semi-structured individual interviews with 11 nurses. Sampling was purposeful and continued until data saturation was achieved. Data were analyzed using MAXQDA10 software. After analyzing the data, we identified 22 subcategories and 6 main categories, which included: "divine growth," "empowering interpersonal relationships," "learning new cultures," "Finding new learning opportunities," "increased personnel resilience," and "changes in attitude." The results of this study showed that post-traumatic growth in nurses following trauma, war, and tragedy is a complex, multidimensional, and contextual concept that may be affected by various factors namely stressors, mental and psychological status, previous encounter with stress. The findings of this study can provide nursing leaders and dispatch nurses with a deeper recognition of the factors that contribute to successful coping among Iranian nurses deployed to war zones and development of positive post-traumatic growth.