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How professional nurses’ experiences and explanations of traumatic stress exposure influence nursing practice in the Western Cape
Thesis (MNur)--Stellenbosch University, 2026.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2026
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| _version_ | 1867614010070794240 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Williams, Catherine Angela Margaret |
| author2 | Young, Cornelle |
| author_browse | Williams, Catherine Angela Margaret Young, Cornelle |
| author_facet | Young, Cornelle Williams, Catherine Angela Margaret |
| author_sort | Williams, Catherine Angela Margaret |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (MNur)--Stellenbosch University, 2026. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/136609 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:45:13.990Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| publishDateRange | 2026 |
| publishDateSort | 2026 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/136609 How professional nurses’ experiences and explanations of traumatic stress exposure influence nursing practice in the Western Cape Williams, Catherine Angela Margaret Young, Cornelle Mayers, Pat Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. Dept. of Nursing and Midwifery. Thesis (MNur)--Stellenbosch University, 2026. Williams, C. A. M. 2026. How professional nurses’ experiences and explanations of traumatic stress exposure influence nursing practice in the Western Cape. Unpublished masters thesis. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University [online]. Available: https://scholar.sun.ac.za/items/aff7a477-c35d-4cfa-976d-5e4df57dba63 Background: Traumatic stress exposure significantly affects nurses, patients and the provision of safe, ethical and compassionate healthcare, particularly in low- and middle-income settings such as South Africa. Although nurses occupy a frontline caring role and are routinely exposed to traumatic stressors, there is limited research on how these experiences influence their nursing practice. Objective: This study explored and described how professional nurses’ discourse on traumatic stress exposure influences their nursing practice within the City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipal District, Western Cape. Methodology: An exploratory-descriptive qualitative design was used within an intersectional critical social constructionist paradigm with reflexive thematic analysis. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with purposively sampled professional nurses with direct patient care experience, and who self-identified personal, social or occupational exposure to traumatic stress. The study was aligned to trauma-informed research principles. Findings: Nurses’ discourse described trauma as dynamic, cumulative and endemic in, but not inherent to, nursing. Exposure was seen to be constructed by inequality and epistemic oppression, gendered and hierarchical social relations and exploitative working conditions. The impact of traumatic stress exposure was influenced by negating witnessing environments and entrenched cultural norms of denial within the workplace. Traumatic stress shaped nursing practice through embodied responses, identity shifts, relational-spatial strategies of self-protection as well as forms of resistance to unethical care through practice adaptations and revaluing of the nursing lens. Post-trauma sense-making and insights increased social and self-awareness and re-motivation to practice from a person-centred holistic nursing paradigm. Conclusion: Traumatic stress exposure in nursing requires attention to the structural and sociopolitical conditions of production, not only to individual factors. The study contributes locally generated knowledge on nurses’ practice after trauma exposure highlighting the need to address this to sustain compassionate nursing practice, Future research should contribute to nurses’ capacity to engage structural drivers of trauma, increase compassionate reflexivity and resist the commodification of nursing care. Masters 2026-05-26T06:59:24Z 2026-05-26T06:59:24Z 2026-03 Thesis https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/136609 en Stellenbosch University 136 pages : ill. application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Williams, Catherine Angela Margaret How professional nurses’ experiences and explanations of traumatic stress exposure influence nursing practice in the Western Cape |
| title | How professional nurses’ experiences and explanations of traumatic stress exposure influence nursing practice in the Western Cape |
| title_full | How professional nurses’ experiences and explanations of traumatic stress exposure influence nursing practice in the Western Cape |
| title_fullStr | How professional nurses’ experiences and explanations of traumatic stress exposure influence nursing practice in the Western Cape |
| title_full_unstemmed | How professional nurses’ experiences and explanations of traumatic stress exposure influence nursing practice in the Western Cape |
| title_short | How professional nurses’ experiences and explanations of traumatic stress exposure influence nursing practice in the Western Cape |
| title_sort | how professional nurses experiences and explanations of traumatic stress exposure influence nursing practice in the western cape |
| url | https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/136609 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT williamscatherineangelamargaret howprofessionalnursesexperiencesandexplanationsoftraumaticstressexposureinfluencenursingpracticeinthewesterncape |