When the Wounded Walk: Exploring the Lived Experience of Secondary Traumatic Stress in the Emerging Nursing Workforce

Keywords

secondary traumatic stress, vicarious trauma, second victim syndrome, nursing education, nursing student, role theory, role socialization, hidden curriculum

Abstract

Aims

The purpose of this study was to explore undergraduate nursing students' lived experiences with secondary traumatic stress.

Methods

The design was an interpretivist, hermeneutic-phenomenological approach. Data collection took place in the United States from September through November of 2024. Undergraduate nursing students who scored ≥ 38 (moderate, high, or severe) on the Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale were purposively recruited for face-to-face interviews with biometric and audiovisual recordings. Data analysis followed an iterative, inductive approach using principles from Heidegger's hermeneutic approach and Benner's interpretive framework for nursing.

Findings

Four main themes emerged from the data, illuminating student lived experiences on (1) How an Event Becomes ‘Traumatic,’ (2) Maladaptive or Ineffective Coping in Response to an Event, (3) Nursing Culture as a Conduit for Secondary Traumatic Stress and (4) The Student Journey Toward Effective Coping.

Conclusions

Findings revealed largely unaddressed secondary traumatic stress in undergraduate nursing students, a hidden driver of burnout and early exit from the profession. During synthesis, a four-step cascade emerged: (1) an emotionally charged event, (2) experiencing distorted thoughts, (3) symptoms of physiological arousal and (4) demonstrated behavioural avoidance, intensified by an underlying professional expectation of stoicism. Although students reported using relational, spiritual, cognitive and physical coping tools, these strategies alone rarely interrupted the cascade.

Implications for the Profession and Patient Care

Three educational imperatives follow: (1) embed explicit secondary traumatic stress literacy in educational modules, (2) normalise brief peer/faculty debriefings and (3) train preceptors to frame vulnerability as a form of competence. Trauma-informed pedagogy built on these steps can foster integrated (rather than sustained) trauma, curb attrition and help secure the future nursing workforce.

Original Publication Citation

Watson, A. L., Bond, C., *Madeux, A., Tobe, H., Harper, D., **Blank, S., **Detrick, R. (2025). When the Wounded Walk: Exploring the Lived Experience of Secondary Traumatic Stress in the Emerging Nursing Workforce. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 0, 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.70086

Document Type

Peer-Reviewed Article

Publication Date

2025-07-18

Publisher

Journal of Advanced Nursing; Wiley

Language

English

College

Nursing

University Standing at Time of Publication

Assistant Professor

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