Cross-cultural adaptation and reliability of the inventory of vicarious posttraumatic growth and research of its influencing factors: a cross-sectional study

The purpose of this study was to translate the Vicarious Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (VPTGI) into Chinese and to assess its reliability and validity in Nurses, Additionally, it explored the correlations between vicarious posttraumatic growth (VPTG), Secondary Traumatic Stress (STS) and demographic variables.

The Brislin translation model was used to translate the VPTGI into Chinese. Validity analysis involved exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and assessments of convergent validity, discriminant validity, and content validity. Reliability analysis included split-half reliability, internal consistency reliability, and test-retest reliability. Item analysis employed the Critical Ratio Decision Value (CR) method, item-total correlation method, and reliability change method. Single-factor analysis was conducted to examine the relationship between demographic variables and VPTG, while correlation analysis explored the association between STS and VPTG.

The Chinese version VPTGI demonstrated robust content validity (I-CVI: 0.83-1, S-CVI: 0.97), supported by EFA (KMO: 0.933) and significant Bartlett’s test (p < 0.001). Four factors explained 67.82% variance, CFA confirmed the model fit (χ2/df = 2.255, RMSEA = 0.079, IFI = 0.931, TLI = 0.914, CFI = 0.930, NFI = 0.882). The Chinese version VPTGI demonstrated high internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.951), with dimensions’ Cronbach’s α ranging from 0.806 to 0.912. Overall, nurses demonstrated a moderate to low level of VPTG and a severe level of STS. Furthermore, there was a significant negative correlation between STS and VPTG.

The Chinese version of VPTGI demonstrated satisfactory reliability, validity, and factor structure, making it a reliable tool to assess VPTG in Chinese nurses. These findings underscore the importance of promoting VPTG and addressing STS among healthcare professionals. Further research in this area is warranted to better understand and support the psychological well-being of nurses.