Objective To explore the mediating effect of positive coping styles on the relationship between resilience and vicarious trauma in nurses in Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

Methods Nurses in ICU were recruited through convenience sampling and surveyed by the general information questionnaire, the Disaster Relief Vicarious Trauma Scale, the Resilience Scale, and the Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire.

Results For the 242 nurses in ICU, the mean score of vicarious trauma was (85.02±19.54), the mean score of resilience was (65.47±16.37), and the mean scores of positive and negative coping styles were (25.10±6.52) and (13.65±5.29) respectively. Vicarious trauma was negatively correlated with resilience and positive coping styles (r=-0.49, -0.41, P < 0.01), while resilience was positively correlated with both positive and negative coping styles (r=0.62, 0.35, P < 0.01). Bootstrap test results showed that positive coping styles mediated 24.5% of the total effect between resilience and vicarious trauma.

Conclusion Nurses in ICU have a high level of vicarious trauma, and their positive coping styles partially mediate the relationship between resilience and vicarious trauma. Clinical nursing managers should emphasize enhancing ICU nurses' resilience and positive coping abilities, implementing strategies to prevent vicarious trauma, and improving their physical and mental health.