Date
2-28-2025
Department
School of Health Sciences
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Health Sciences (PhD)
Chair
Beth Ann Sexton
Keywords
vicarious resilience, vicarious trauma, COVID-19, grounded theory, hermeneutic phenomenology
Disciplines
Medicine and Health Sciences
Recommended Citation
Hoang, Anthony, "Vicarious Trauma from COVID-19 Shows Vicarious Resilience as the Best Response for Its Probative Academic Underpinnings" (2025). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 6512.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/6512
Abstract
The purpose of this grounded theory study was to understand vicarious resilience (VR) as the best response to COVID-19 for vicarious trauma (VT) and its transition into a permanent solution via phenomenology for the general populace. At this stage in the research, VR was generally defined as overcoming adversity. Vicarious resilience was a layman’s term. The scientific name for VR was a construct called clinical theory (CT), research (R), and practice (P) (CTRP). Vicarious resilience was CTRP and vice versa. The theory guiding this study was grounded theory by Glaser and Strauss to build the CTRP construct, then by phenomenology from Husserl, Heidegger, Merleau-Ponty, Sartre, and Stein showing CTRP transition as permanent (Burns et al., 2022; Ritunnano et al., 2022). Vicarious resilience required both theories as an existential need. Hernandez et al. (2007) created the CTRP construct under both theories and called the scientific construct CTRP in layman’s term as VR. Data collection occurs primarily through semi-structured interviews. Participating interviewees qualified themselves for the semi-structured interviews through a survey to determine if they have VT from COVID-19. Qualified interviewees then answer the relevant questionnaire to create a narrative about their VT. Data analysis strategies began with acknowledging trauma as a medically legitimate condition recognized in the ICD-10 trauma coding. Next, identifiable themes from NVIVO provided a roadmap from the meaning in the narrative of the semi-structured interviews. Themes then yielded measurable changes, such as actions that revealed VR akin to meditation, spirituality, and yoga practices.
