Abstract
BACKGROUND: While strength use has been shown to foster post-traumatic growth, few studies have examined whether it also influences outcomes such as job satisfaction, work thriving, and positive mental health. Addressing this gap is essential for improving the well-being of healthcare workers under ongoing stress. AIM: This study aimed to explore the relationships between strength use, post-traumatic growth, and well-being among nurses, specifically investigating how strength use influences key well-being outcomes such as positive mental health, job satisfaction, and thriving at work. Additionally, the study examined whether post-traumatic growth mediates these relationships. SETTING/PARTICIPANTS: 1,523 registered nurses from a tertiary hospital in Henan Province, China, who participated in frontline COVID-19 efforts. METHODS: Data were collected using validated scales to measure strength use, post-traumatic growth, positive mental health, job satisfaction, and thriving at work. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the relationships among these variables, with bootstrapping methods employed to test the mediation effects. RESULTS: The findings demonstrated that strength use is positively associated with job satisfaction (r = 0.48, p < 0.001), positive mental health (r = 0.49, p < 0.001), and thriving at work (r = 0.48, p < 0.001). Additionally, post-traumatic growth was found to mediate the relationship between strength use and these well-being outcomes, with indirect effects observed for job satisfaction(β = 0.19, 95% CI [0.157, 0.225]), thriving at work (β = 0.19, 95% CI [0.161, 0.227]), and positive mental health(β = 0.17, 95% CI [0.140, 0.208]). CONCLUSION: This study underscores the critical role of strength use and post-traumatic growth in promoting well-being among nurses. By illustrating how leveraging personal strengths can foster resilience and psychological growth in high-stress environments, the findings provide valuable insights for developing strengths-based interventions aimed at enhancing well-being in demanding professional contexts like nursing. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: Not applicable.