Background:

Nurses have a high susceptibility to experience potentially traumatic events (Wheeler & Phiplips, 2019). After the occurrence of a traumatic situation, symptoms related to intrusive thoughts, avoidance and hyperactivity may persist, and, in turn, lead to the development of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2014).

Aim:

To identify the level of psychological trauma and its relationship with sociodemographic and professional variables in nurses in an Azorean hospital.

Methods:

Quantitative, descriptive, correlational, cross-sectional study in a sample of 75 nurses working in a hospital setting on an island in the Azores, selected through a convenience sampling method. A questionnaire was applied for sociodemographic and professional characterization and the Impact Event Scale Revised (IES-R) (Weiss & Marmar, 1997; Matos et al., 2011).

Results:

All nurses experienced at least one critical incident that marked their professional trajectory, having happened mostly for more than 12 months, with the death situation being the most mentioned. The prevalence of psychological trauma was 21,3%, with higher values in the subscale of intrusive thoughts. Nurses with children had higher mean scores in the subscale intrusive thoughts; nurses with fixed schedule and no leisure activities had higher mean scores in the total IES-R and all subscales. Nurses with definitive employment contract are positioned at a higher level in the total IES-R and in the subscales intrusive thoughts and avoidance.

Conclusions:

Even though the levels of psychological trauma identified are low, it is imperative to inform and support nurses regarding adverse events in the workplace. It is extremely important to raise awareness of the problem and to take measures to promote healthy work environments, consequently leading to safe and quality care.