Foli’s Theory of Psychological Trauma as a Framework For Nursing Research: A critique

Nurses are regularly exposed to workplace traumatic events, including violence, aggression, witnessing patient deaths, and self-harming behavior and suicide attempts. These experiences can adversely affect nurse well-being and can interrelate with personal histories of trauma. Despite this, psychological trauma in nursing remains underexplored. Foli's mid-range theory of psychological trauma (2022) provides a contemporary framework for addressing this gap by identifying 7 types of psychological trauma in nursing practice while incorporating personal experiences beyond the clinical setting. This paper adapts Fawcett's Criteria (2005) to critically examine the theory's background, concepts, and relationship to other theories, highlighting strengths and applicability for advancing research into nurses' psychological trauma.