STEP: Building Trauma Resilience Among Nurses and Personal Support Workers During and Beyond COVID-19

NCT04682561 · Status: COMPLETED · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 42

Last updated 2025-04-25

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

The COVID-19 pandemic has amplified the need for skills training and mental health support for healthcare workers who are exposed to the numerous stressors and potential trauma of a high-risk environment. This context is associated with significant impacts on mental health, including depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress, with nurses and personal support workers (PSWs) being disproportionately impacted. The proposed STEP program is an intervention that aims to equip nurses and PSWs with the skills and support needed to promote their wellness and navigate the challenges of experiencing trauma in a high-risk, high-stress environment, which has been exacerbated by the pandemic. As such, the STEP intervention has the potential to improve trauma resilience and mental health among nurses and PSW, which may ultimately improve patient care and benefit the hospital system during and even beyond the pandemic. The results from this study will also provide vital insight into promising interventions for healthcare workers that are accessible and scalable.

Conditions

  • Stress
  • Trauma
  • Mental Health Issue
  • Healthcare Workers

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Supportive Trauma Exposure Preparation Program

The Supportive Trauma Exposure Preparation Program is based on the theory that the ability to set compassionate boundaries will enhance acceptance of the reality of trauma in the workplace, and will also increase the cognitive/emotional/physical energy needed to engage in adaptive emotional strategies in response to trauma exposure. Therefore, the goal of therapy is to learn to set compassionate boundaries and engage with oneself and others from a perspective of self-empowerment and acceptance of life events. Concepts and skills will be addressed through the following modules: 1) understanding of trauma and its effects, 2) personal rights and boundaries, 3) emotional literacy, 4) distress tolerance and emotion regulation skills building, 5) communication skills building, 6) self-compassion and acceptance, and 7) enhancing self-care.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Providence Healthcare

    collaborator OTHER
  • Unity Health Toronto

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Sakina Rizvi, PhD · Unity Health Toronto

Study Design

Allocation
NA
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Model
SINGLE_GROUP

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2022-01-01
Primary Completion
2024-08-30
Completion
2024-12-20

Countries

  • Canada

Study Locations

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT04682561 on ClinicalTrials.gov