Broken bodies, healing spirits: road trauma survivor's perceptions of pastoral care during inpatient orthopaedic rehabilitation

Abstract

Purpose. The aim of this article is to present findings from an Australian study that explored road trauma survivors' perceptions of spirituality and of a hospital-based pastoral care service throughout their inpatient rehabilitation. All participants had experienced severe orthopaedic injury.

Method. A mixed-method research design was used. The survey method elicited demographic, pastoral care contact and hospitalisation data. It included the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI; Tedeschi and Calhoun 1996) and an adapted World Health Organisation Pastoral Intervention (WHO 2002) coding schema (Constitution of the World Health Organisation, basic documents, supplement. 45 ed.). An interview method was used to elicit information about participants' prior and current experiences of faith and spirituality, expectations, and experiences of the pastoral care service, and perceptions of the role of pastoral care in their rehabilitation.

Results. A thematic analysis of both quantitative and qualitative data identified nine core themes of supportive pastoral care. Pastoral care was seen as a valued and supportive intervention. Participants who completed the PTGI reported at least some degree of posttraumatic growth.

Conclusions. Further research is recommended to examine the role and efficacy of pastoral care that is integral to road trauma recovery support.

Keywords:

• Road trauma
• pastoral care
• posttraumatic growth

Notes

1. An expression borrowed from electricians, used colloquially to refer to the prevention of a flow of negative energy

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.