Family functioning and post-traumatic growth among disaster survivors: The mediation role of hope

We examined posttraumatic growth (PTG) in men treated for prostate cancer and their partners 1 year after surgery. Levels of PTG in prostate cancer survivors and their partners were similar and modest. For survivors, higher levels of presurgery negative affect, and coping by using positive reframing and emotional support were associated with higher levels of PTG 1 year following surgery. For partners, PTG 1 year after the patient's surgery was higher in partners who were partnered to employed patients, were less educated, endorsed higher cancer-specific avoidance symptoms of stress at presurgery, and used positive reframing coping. Quality of life was largely unrelated to PTG in survivors or partners. Findings suggest that psychological disruption associated with the cancer experience and coping are related to PTG in prostate cancer survivors and their partners.

While knowledge about late psychosocial effects in pediatric cancer survivors is growing, investigation of positive changes, notably posttraumatic growth (PTG), is still lacking. Recent studies have not established any stable relationship between PTG and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), and it is still unclear which factors are associated with PTG in survivors of childhood cancer. The aims of this study were to give a quantitative description of PTG in long-term survivors of adolescent cancer and to investigate its association with psychological variables, especially the recalled amount of fear of death during treatment, as well as other cancer-related and demographic issues. A cohort of 784 long-term survivors of adolescent cancer (age M=30.4±6.1, time since diagnosis M=13.7±6.0years) completed a set of questionnaires measuring PTG, PTSS, depression, anxiety, fear of death and psychosocial support during treatment, and sociodemographic and medical variables. More than 5years after cancer diagnosis, 94.3% of participants reported having "very strongly" experienced at least one positive consequence in the aftermath of the stressful experience. There were positive correlations between PTG and fear of death and psychosocial support during treatment, as well as for current symptoms of depression. No association with the amount of PTSS was found. Findings suggest that experiencing fear of death during cancer experience as well as utilizing psychosocial support catalyzes posttraumatic growth in the aftermath. Further studies should investigate how interventions could be designed to promote and stimulate PTG in young cancer patients.

This study aimed to understand factors related to post-traumatic growth (PTG) in patients who received allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), building baseline data for developing intervention programs to enhance PTG in HSCT survivors. A self-report survey was administered to 100 patients who received HSCT within the last 5 years. The Post-traumatic Growth Inventory, Impact of Event Scale-Revised, Perceived Social Support Scale, and Healthcare Professional's Support Scale were used, as well as items on demographic and clinical characteristics. Standard deviations of frequency and percentage, Chi-squared test between genders, independent t-test, correlation analysis between independent variables and extent of PTG, and regression analysis were conducted. The PTG levels of HSCT survivors were statistically significantly higher when participants were women, carried out more religious activities, had higher educational levels, or utilized nurse counseling. The 'intrusive thinking' traumatic impact subcategory, as well as social support and support from healthcare professionals, were found to be highly related to PTG scores. Upon multiple regression analysis, factors with greatest influence on PTG in HSCT survivors were support from healthcare professionals, followed in order, by social support, utilization of nurse counseling, intrusive thinking, and frequency of religious activities. We suggest implementing programs for HSCT patients to enhance support from healthcare professionals and to increase post-traumatic growth through greater utilization of nurse counseling, self-help meetings, and writing.

BackgroundBreast cancer, a potential traumatic stressor, may be accompanied by positive changes, such as post-traumatic growth (PTG), which may allow patients to overcome this stressful event more easily. Our aim was to identify factors associated with PTG in breast cancer survivors (BCSs).MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional study in Seintinelles volunteers who answered online questionnaires. PTG was measured using the Post-Traumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI). Data on sociodemographic, health-related factors and lifestyle habits, fear of cancer recurrence, health locus of control, coping strategies, and time perspective were collected.ResultsThe study included 821 BCSs aged 26 to 79 years, one to 16 years after cancer diagnosis. Mean of PTG scores were: relating to others 20.27 ± 6.61; new possibilities 14.00 ± 5.44; personal strength 12.24 ± 4.32; spiritual change 2.95 ± 2.54; appreciation of life 10.59 ± 3.00 and total PTG 60.05 ± 18.11. Several factors were associated with PTG: health-related factors (satisfaction with one’s own health, longer time since diagnosis), lifestyle habits (increasing physical activity level and stopping or reducing alcohol consumption after diagnosis), elements of locus of control (powerful others), coping strategies (positive thinking, seeking social support) and time perspective (present hedonistic), which were significantly positively associated with PTG. Chance locus of control and coping avoidance were inversely related to several PTG domains, even several years after diagnosis.ConclusionsPTG may be increased in BCSs by acting on its modifiable factors. This includes adopting healthy behaviours, such as increasing physical activity and stopping/reducing alcohol consumption, and developing locus of control elements, such as powerful others, and coping strategies, such as positive thinking and seeking social support, through targeted interventions. Further studies, especially longitudinal studies, are needed to confirm the observed associations between health behaviours, health locus of control, time perspective, and PTG scores. Other measures, such as post-traumatic stress, should be considered because of possible inferences with PTG.

Most studies on posttraumatic growth (PTG) have focused on personal characteristics, interpersonal resources, and the immediate environment. There has been less attention on dynamic internal processes related to the development of PTG and on how these processes are affected by the broader culture. Calhoun and Tedeschi's (2006) model suggests a role of distal culture in PTG development, but empirical investigations on that point are limited. The present study investigated the role of social complexity-the generalized belief about changing social environments and inconsistency of human behavior-as a predictor of PTG. Social complexity was hypothesized to be associated with problem-solving approaches that are likely to give rise to cognitive processes that promote PTG. A sample of 446 survivors of Typhoon Haiyan, 1 of the strongest typhoons ever recorded at the time, answered self-report measures of social complexity, cognitive processing of trauma, and PTG. Structural equation modeling indicated a good fit between the data and the hypothesized model; belief in social complexity predicted stronger PTG, mediated by cognitive processing. The results provide evidence for how disaster survivors' beliefs about the changing nature of social environments and their corresponding behavior changes are predictors of PTG and suggest a psychological mechanism for how distal culture can influence PTG. Thus, assessing social complexity beliefs during early the phases of a postdisaster psychosocial intervention may provide useful information on who is likely to experience PTG. Trauma workers might consider culture-specific social themes related to social complexity in disaster-affected communities. (PsycINFO Database Record

Posttraumatic growth, spiritual damage, and psychosocial and mental health problems in survivors of clergy-perpetrated child sexual abuse: A mixed methods approach

Many studies focusing on childhood sexual abuse (CSA) may have neglected the consequences related to experiencing other types of childhood maltreatment, such as psychological maltreatment. Moreover, the literature has focused more on negative consequences related to CSA, hence potentially leaving out more adaptive and resilient trajectories. This qualitative study aimed to explore childhood psychological maltreatment and CSA, mindfulness, sexuality, and intimate relationships in adult survivors. The interview data from 19 individuals who experienced CSA and psychological maltreatment were analyzed using conventional content analysis. Four conceptual categories developed: (a) an unsafe family environment that hindered the development of positive experiences and relationships; (b) impaired mindfulness dispositions: the reliving of trauma, the avoidance of suffering, and feeling engulfed; (c) impaired intimacy: instability, codependence, emotional distance, and self-silencing; and (d) mindfulness dispositions and posttraumatic growth (PTG) in participants’ intimate lives. These findings highlight that mindfulness, sexuality, and intimate relationships are often poor among survivors of psychological maltreatment and CSA. Yet opportunities to develop mindfulness dispositions appear to enhance PTG in survivors’ intimate relationships, significantly contributing to survivors’ healing processes.

To analyze the effects of hope and self-efficacy on post-traumatic growth in survivors of childhood cancer in Korea and to identify factors affecting post-traumatic growth. Data of 117 survivors of childhood cancer aged 11 years or older either in treatment or follow-up recruited by convenience sampling at an advanced general hospital in Korea were analyzed. Using a self-reported structured questionnaire, data on hope, self-efficacy, and post-traumatic growth were analyzed using Pearson's correlation. Differences in post-traumatic growth according to general and disease-related characteristics (obtained from the survivors and their parents) were analyzed using t tests and analysis of variance. Factors affecting post-traumatic growth were investigated using multiple regression analysis. Post-traumatic growth showed significant positive correlations with hope and self-efficacy. Factors that significantly affected post-traumatic growth were presence of siblings, high economic status, and hope. To improve post-traumatic growth in survivors of childhood cancer, interventions should be developed to enhance hope. In addition, more efforts are necessary in terms of interventions to improve post-traumatic growth in survivors of childhood cancer without siblings or with low economic status.

Adverse consequences of intimate partner violence (IPV) are well documented, whereas less research has explored positive changes. Recent efforts indicate that survivors report posttraumatic growth (PTG), but the schema reconstruction hypothesis by which this is achieved is in need of further investigation. One model of PTG suggests that growth is triggered by trauma(s) that challenges an individual's assumptive world. This threat promotes cognitive processing and schema reconstruction that fosters a sense of meaning and value in one's life. As schema change is posited as the main cognitive antecedent of PTG, a longitudinal assessment of world assumptions was used to examine whether assumption change predicts PTG in IPV survivors. Results indicate that world assumptions became more positive 1 year after an initial interview but only for women who had not been revictimized in the year between study assessments. Furthermore, positive world assumption change was associated with greater PTG scores. Implications for intervention and research are discussed.

La croissance post-traumatique chez les victimes de violences conjugales : une étude pilote dans la Vienne

The positive psychology movement has impelled trauma research to focus not only on debilitating aspects of trauma experiences, but also on its positive outcomes such as posttraumatic growth (PTG). We investigated how the social themes of religiosity, reward for application, and social cynicism, as part of the individual’s distal culture, contribute to PTG among natural disaster survivors. We tested a model wherein social axioms of religiosity, reward for application, and social cynicism predict PTG, and their relationships are mediated by adaptive cognitive processing of trauma. The model was tested in a sample of Filipino survivors of typhoon Haiyan using structural equation modeling. The results support the proposed model except for the influence of social cynicism. The findings suggest that generalized beliefs about the social world play an important role in the development of PTG, and must be considered to understand how growth occurs in the aftermath of a traumatic event.

Objectives This study aimed to examine the mediating effect of coping strategies on the relationship between family functioning and posttraumatic growth in family caregivers of people with dementia (PwD). Methods A total of 124 family caregivers of PwD from a memory clinic were investigated from July to October 2017. Family functioning, coping strategies, and posttraumatic growth of family caregivers of PwD were measured. Data were processed using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, regression analysis, and structural equation modelling. Results Posttraumatic growth was observed in family caregivers of PwD. The caregiver’s gender, relationship with the patient, and difficulty balancing financial income and expenditures in the past month, as well as disease severity of PwD, are significant predictors of posttraumatic growth. There were significantly positive correlations among posttraumatic growth, family functioning and positive coping strategies (P＜0.01). Positive coping strategies exert a complete mediating effect between family functioning and posttraumatic growth (β = 0.49, P < 0.05). Conclusions A model of the posttraumatic growth of family caregivers of PwD can be established, and the relevant mechanisms can be explored. Healthcare providers should pay attention to the family functioning of caregivers and take effective measures to provide them with positive coping strategies to promote their posttraumatic growth.

Lung cancer-related emotional growth : the role of coping styles and prior trauma.

ObjectiveWe aimed to investigate the symptoms of inpatients with bipolar disorder (BD) in different types of families, and to explore the correlations between family coherence, family adaptability, and family functioning among inpatients with BD.MethodsInpatients with BD in Hebei, China (n = 61; mean age = 33.85±10.54; 39 males) participated in this study. Participants’ symptoms were evaluated using the Bech–Rafaelsen Mania Scale (BRMS) and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) at weeks 1, 4, and 8 after their admission to the hospital. Participants’ family type was assessed using the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Scale II–Chinese Version. Family functioning was assessed using Family Assessment Device.ResultsParticipants were classified into three family types: balanced (n = 13), mid-range (n = 28), and extreme (n = 20). BRMS scores improved over time in patients from all three family types. Improvement was slightly better with the balanced than the extreme family type. HDRS scores showed an improving trend over time, although this was not significant. Family coherence, adaptability, and functioning were mutually correlated.ConclusionThe family system and family functioning are important factors that clinicians should keep in mind when treating people with BD.

ABSTRACTExposure to natural disasters can lead to both negative and positive mental health consequences (i.e., posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD] and posttraumatic growth [PTG]). While there is evidence linking metacognition to these outcomes, the focus is mostly on maladaptive metacognitions. The present study investigated the role of positive metacognitions and meta-emotions (i.e., confidence in extinguishing perseveration [Extinguishing], confidence in interpreting emotions as cues [Interpreting], and confidence in setting flexible and attainable hierarchies of goals [Setting]) on PTSD and PTG among Filipino typhoon survivors. Findings supported a model wherein Extinguishing and Setting, but not Interpreting, predicted PTSD and PTG through posttraumatic cognitions.