Abstract: Objective: To investigate the current status of vicarious traumatization and its influencing factors among medical staff fighting against COVID-19. Methods: A convenience sample of 165 medical staff from eight tertiary grade A hospitals in Henan Province were selected between January and March, 2020. A questionnaire including demographic data, Vicarious Traumatization Questionnaire (VTQ), Chinese version of Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) and Perceived Social Support Scale were used to collect the data. Results: The average score of VTQ was 75.36 ±19.85 and the incidence rate of vicarious traumatization was 4.2%. Multiple regression analysis showed that years of work experience, education level, average daily working hours, whether the aid of Hubei, whether to have worked for patients with SARS, and alexithymia scores could affect the level of vicarious traumatization among medical staff fighting against COVID-19, which could explain 55.6% variance of VTQ. Conclusion: There is a certain proportion of vicarious traumatization among medical staff fighting against COVID-19. Managers should pay attention to the identification and evaluation of vicarious traumatization among medical staff.

Key words: COVID-19; medical staff; vicarious traumatization; influencing factor