Domains Of Posttraumatic Growth Research Articles

Beyond the Storms: Exploring Predictors of Posttraumatic Stress and Posttraumatic Growth among Survivors of Hurricanes Irma and Maria in Puerto Rico

BackgroundWithin disaster-affected communities, residents’ exposures and post-disaster mental health outcomes can vary widely. Yet, few studies have explored the relationship between such diverse disaster-related exposures and posttraumatic growth (PTG) in a Puerto Rican context. MethodsTo address this gap, we used data from the Preparedness to Reduce Exposures and Diseases Post-hurricanes and Augment Resilience (PREPARE) study, a cohort of mainly Hispanic Puerto Ricans who experienced Hurricanes Maria and Irma in 2017. This analysis focused on 484 individuals who completed structured interviews 20 to 34 months after the hurricanes. We evaluated the associations between five different disaster exposures (e.g., financial, home damage, personal health, and familial health), posttraumatic stress (PTS), and PTG and its five domains (personal strength, new possibilities, improved relationships, spiritual growth, and appreciation of life), controlling for demographic, geographic, and social factors. ResultsIn multivariable models, higher total disaster score was associated with higher levels of both PTS and PTG (2.91 and 3.87, respectively). Personal health impacts were consistently associated with higher levels on all PTG subscales, ranging from 0.89 to 1.94, which was not the case for other exposures. Specifically, home damage was associated with higher levels on all PTG subscales except spiritual growth, and financial and familial health impacts were associated with greater identification with new possibilities and appreciation of life only. ConclusionThese findings provide novel evidence that different disaster-related exposures have distinct associations with the different PTG domains in Puerto Rico. These findings can inform future efforts to address post-disaster mental health ailments by bolstering different aspects of PTG.

Anya’s Posttraumatic Growth Over Her Loss Trauma as Reflected in Natassa’s Critical Eleven

It has been commonly assumed that trauma only lead to a negative impact on its survivors. However, on another hand, trauma can bring positive changes. This situation is commonly said as post-traumatic growth (PTG). The PTG process takes a quite long time and each survivor has different capabilities and processes to achieve it. Anya, the main character in the novel of Critical Eleven, experiences the trauma of loss after her first baby dies. Since her baby left, Anya has been in a dark period. This research aims to determine the type of loss trauma experienced by Anya. As a trauma survivor, Anya's post-traumatic growth was also explained in this research. Two theories were utilized in this research. Freud's theory of mourning and melancholia was used to analyze the type of loss trauma that Anya experienced. Meanwhile, the post-traumatic growth theory (PTG) proposed by Tedeschi and Calhoun was used to determine Anya's post-traumatic growth domain. The primary data for this research were taken from the novel of Critical Eleven written by Ika Natassa. In addition, research related to traumatic loss and post-traumatic growth was used as supporting data. The research results show that the trauma of loss experienced by Anya is grief or mourning. Furthermore, the PTG domains found in Anya's personality reflected personal strength, inter-personal relationships, and spiritual change. In addition, this research also found that not all trauma survivors can achieve the five domains of post-traumatic growth due to the respective capabilities and life processes of each survivor.

QOL-34. POST-TRAUMATIC GROWTH AND COPING STRATEGIES AMONG ADOLESCENTS AND YOUNG ADULTS SURVIVORS OF PEDIATRIC BRAIN TUMORS

Abstract BACKGROUND Pediatric brain tumor survivors (PBTS) often report late psychosocial effects following the disease and the treatments. Recent studies have shown that PBTS can experience growth in their personal and interpersonal dimensions and develop coping strategies that allow them to deal with the stress caused by cancer diagnosis and subsequent therapies. This study aimed to describe post-traumatic growth (PTG) experiences and coping strategies among adolescents and young adults (AYA) survivors of pediatric brain tumors. METHODS AYA survivors were assessed using Post-Traumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI) and Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS) questionnaires. They received evaluation at a median age of 20.2 years (range 13.6-28.7), with a median of 92 months from diagnosis. RESULTS Among 22 AYA survivors (M =14; F=8), the diagnosed tumor types were: germ cell tumor (10/22), low-grade glioma (4/22), embryonal tumor (3/22), high-grade glioma (2/22), craniopharyngioma (2/22), and mesenchymal tumor of the meninges (1/22).The domains of PTG in which positive changes were most frequently reported were Personal Strength (25%), Appreciation for Life (25%), and New Possibilities (23%). The less impacted domain was Spiritual Growth (9%). As regards the most adopted coping style, 38% showed higher values in the Distraction scale, 31% in the Task-Oriented scale, 15% in the Avoidance scale, and 15% in the Social Diversion scale. CONCLUSIONS PTG and coping are important indicators of psychosocial adaptation to difficult or stressful events. To develop specific interventions that enhance PTG, it is essential to understand which factors influence growth in PBTS. Our preliminary data show that all AYA survivors report PTG after treatments, at least in some domains. Further analysis is needed to identify which coping styles may influence the development of PTG.

A mixed methods experience sampling study of a posttraumatic growth model for addiction recovery

Problematic substance use and addiction is a growing crisis in the United States. As a result, identifying factors that effectively promote addiction recovery is, currently, of particular societal importance. Informed by evidence that—while addiction can be perpetuated by stress-related impulsivity and decreased self-regulation—perceived social support is protective against addiction, we test a model for addiction recovery as a form of posttraumatic growth (PTG), focused specifically on close relationships and personal strength—two domains of PTG. In an initial study, we found that perceived social support and impulsivity predicted number of relapses in individuals in a substance use disorder recovery program. Using experience sampling, we then observed that experiencing a stressful event predicted impulsive behavior. However, experiencing closeness with others—a domain of PTG—was directly associated with perceived social support, and both predicted positive emotional states, which were, in turn, inversely associated with experiencing a stressful event. Further, when experiencing a stressful event, personal strength—also a domain of PTG—was inversely associated with impulsive behavior and was predicted by both perceived social support and positive emotional states. Finally, in a follow-up experiment, we found that an ecological momentary intervention targeting perceived social support decreased impulsivity and increased self-regulation—an aspect of personal strength—in a dose-dependent fashion. Taken together, our findings: (1) support a PTG model for recovery; (2) provide evidence for processes by which close supportive relationships are protective against addiction and relapse; and (3) indicate that self-regulation is responsive to a short in-the-moment perceived social support intervention. We suggest that these findings support the theory that addiction is a social disease in the sense that close personal interactions and supportive relationships: (a) buffer against stress-related impulsivity, thereby protecting against addiction and relapse; and (b) increase personal strength, thereby decreasing the probability of impulsive—including addictive—behavior and promoting recovery.

The promotive and protective effects of parents' perceived changes during the COVID-19 pandemic on emotional well-being among U.S. households with young children: an investigation of family resilience processes.

The COVID-19 pandemic may constitute a traumatic event for families with young children due to its acute onset, the unpredictable and ubiquitous nature, and the highly distressing disruptions it caused in family lives. Despite the prevalent challenges such as material hardships, child care disruptions, and social isolation, some families evinced remarkable resilience in the face of this potentially traumatic event. This study examined domains of changes perceived by parents of young children that were consistent with the post-traumatic growth (PTG) model as factors that facilitate family resilience processes. This study drew data from the RAPID project, a large ongoing national study that used frequent online surveys to examine the pandemic impact on U.S. households with young children. A subsample of 669 families was leveraged for the current investigation, including 8.07% Black, 9.57% Latino(a), 74.44% non-Latino(a) White families, and 7.92% households of other racial/ethnic backgrounds. In this subsample, 26.36% were below 200% federal poverty level. Approximately half of the parents reported moderate-to-large degrees of changes during the pandemic, and the most prevalent domain of change was appreciation of life, followed by personal strengths, new possibilities, improved relationships, and spiritual growth. Black and Latino(a) parents reported more changes in all five domains than White parents and more spiritual growth than parents of the other racial/ethnic groups. Moreover, parent-reported improved relationships were found to indirectly reduce young children's overall fussiness/defiance and fear/anxiety symptoms through reducing parents' emotional distress. Perceived changes in the new possibilities, personal strengths, and appreciation of life domains were found to serve as protective factors that buffered the indirect impacts of material hardship mean levels on child behavioral symptoms via mitigating parents' emotional distress. These findings shed light on resilience processes of a family system in a large-scale, disruptive, and stressful socio-historical event such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The five PTG domains could inform therapeutic and intervention practices in the face of future similar events. Importantly, these findings and the evinced family resilience should not negate the urgent needs of policy and program efforts to address material hardships, financial instabilities, and race/ethnicity-based structural inequalities for families of young children.

Posttraumatic Growth after Postpartum Psychosis.

To explore positive changes in women's beliefs, emotions, and behaviors following their struggles with postpartum psychosis. This is a descriptive qualitative study of women who experienced posttraumatic growth after postpartum psychosis. We recruited participants from postings on three Facebook groups. Participants sent their stories of posttraumatic growth after postpartum psychosis via email attachment. We used the following five domains from Tedeschi and Calhoun's (2004) posttraumatic growth model to guide our deductive content analysis: Relating to Others , Personal Strength , Appreciation of Life , New Possibilities , and Spiritual and Existential Change . Thirteen women participated. Relating to Others was the posttraumatic growth domain most often described by the participants followed in order of frequency by Personal Strength , Appreciation of Life , New Possibilities , and Spiritual and Existential Change . Partners and family members' support was instrumental in recovery from postpartum psychosis. When considering the total sample, participants experienced all five domains of posttraumatic growth after postpartum psychosis though not every individual experienced growth in all five domains. Interventions can be tailored to meet the needs of women depending on which phase of recovery from postpartum psychosis women are in, acute, early recovery, or advanced recovery. Advanced recovery is the most appropriate phase to discuss the possibility of posttraumatic growth with women. Such discussion should be done with caution and sensitivity as not all women experience positive growth, and it can be harmful to frame this in a way that indicates or encourages expectation.

Pandemic-related posttraumatic psychological growth in U.S. military veterans: A 3-year, nationally representative, longitudinal study

Little is known about the positive psychological changes or posttraumatic growth (PTG) in response to the pandemic as the COVID-19 vaccines has become widely available. This longitudinal study aimed to characterize changes in the prevalence of pandemic-related PTG, and to identify and quantify the relative importance of PTG correlates pre-pandemic, 1- year peri‑pandemic, and 2-years post-pandemic onset. A total of 2,441 U.S. military veterans completed Wave 3 assessment of the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study. In the full sample, a significant decrease from peri‑pandemic to 2-years post-pandemic onset was observed in overall pandemic-related PTG (41.5% to 32.2%) and four domains of PTG (appreciation of life, relating to others, personal strength, spiritual changes). Among veterans who screened positive for pandemic-related posttraumatic stress symptoms, the prevalence of pandemic-related PTG was markedly higher and did not change from peri‑pandemic to 2-years post-pandemic onset (78.4% to 73.4%). Greater pre-pandemic PTG (personal strength and new possibilities) and greater worries about the effect of pandemic on one's mental health were the strongest correlates of pandemic-related PTG 2-years post-pandemic onset. Results suggest that psychosocial interventions to bolster PTG in relation to early life traumas may help facilitate PTG in response to the pandemic and related crises.

Relationship between posttraumatic growth and help-seeking behavior in use of psychosocial support services among patients with cancer

PurposeCancer survivors who used psychosocial support services often report posttraumatic growth (PTG). This refers to positive psychological changes that may occur as the five domains as a result of the challenges they face. Opposing relationship also might exist. This study aimed to examine the relationship between PTG and help-seeking behavior (HSB).MethodsIn total, 710 participants completed an online survey at Time1. Of those, 395 who reported not using any psychosocial support services at Time1 were asked to participate in the Time2 survey and completed a questionnaire. The participants provided demographic information, the experiences of using psychosocial support services, and the overall and five domains of PTG.ResultsThose who experienced HSB at Time1 reported a higher PTG, and two of the PTG domains, Appreciation of Life and New Possibilities, than those who did not used services. Mixed ANOVAs showed the main effects of the HSB on the overall PTG, Appreciation of Life, and New Possibilities. Hierarchical logistic regression analyses showed that Appreciation of Life at Time1 was significantly related to the engaging in HSB at Time2.ConclusionThose who received psychosocial support services reported a higher PTG. Participants may have also engaged in HSB because they had experienced PTG. People who are likely to seek help and experience PTG may share common characteristics.Implications for Cancer SurvivorsSupport for those who do not fit the existing PTG and the use of psychosocial support services should also be considered.

Post-traumatic growth and cancer-related communication among adolescents having mothers with breast cancer.

This study aimed to clarify the characteristics of post-traumatic growth (PTG) among adolescents having mothers diagnosed with breast cancer and the relationship between PTG and cancer-related communication with breast cancer survivors. A cross-sectional study was conducted using anonymous self-report questionnaires with breast cancer survivors and adolescent children. PTG in adolescents was measured using the Japanese version of the revised PTG Inventory for Children (PTGI-C-R-J). Furthermore, hierarchical multiple regression analysis was implemented. To evaluate the impact of cancer-related communication on each subscale, the total score of cancer-related communication was switched with other subscales individually within the constructed model. A total of 97 breast cancer survivors and their adolescent children were included. The mean scores of the total PTGI-C-R-J and subscale scores for "personal strength," "new possibilities," "relating to others," "appreciation of life," and "spiritual change" were 9.0, 1.7, 1.8, 2.3, 2.4, and 0.9, respectively. The connection between PTG and cancer-related communication was partially clarified. The PTGI-C-R-J score was higher when adolescents shared more information regarding breast cancer with their mothers and lower when adolescents expressed more negative feelings toward their mothers. Communication regarding relationships with mothers was not correlated with PTG. Of all PTG domains, "relating to others" and "appreciation of life" were comparatively higher in adolescents. Health professionals should support breast cancer survivors to ensure that they convey appropriate information regarding their treatment plans and side effects to their adolescent children. Health professionals should help adolescent children express their negative feelings calmly and clearly.

The post-traumatic growth approach to psychological trauma.

The post-traumatic growth approach to psychological trauma.

Dynamic structure of posttraumatic growth among victims of the 2021 Henan floods: A 6-month, three-wave longitudinal study.

Posttraumatic growth (PTG) following traumatic events is a dynamic and transformational process. However, its dynamic structure is currently unknown. The study aimed to estimate the dynamic structure of PTG at the nuance level based on PTG measurement items using network analysis. A three-wave longitudinal study was conducted from July 20, 2021, to January 30, 2022, among the victims experiencing the 2021 Henan floods. The final sample (n = 297) completed reports of PTG after 0, 3, and 6 months of the disaster. We employed the graphical vector autoregressive model approach to estimate extended network models. Contemporaneous network results revealed strong positive associations between domains of PTG in the same measurement window, especially between new possibilities and personal strength. Moreover, temporal network results-the internal interplays among PTG items across measurement windows-revealed that the domain of relating to others plays a central role in the dynamics of PTG. Although other domains predicted an increase in relating to others, relating to others inhibited the development of other domains, especially new possibilities and personal strength. Our study identifies the culture-specific process of PTG and provides empirical evidence on the explanatory models of PTG and the Janus-Face model of PTG.

Facilitators of posttraumatic growth in family members of persons with experiences of psychosis: a thematic synthesis

ABSTRACT Aims Posttraumatic growth (PTG) refers to positive psychological changes that can occur from the struggle with traumatic experiences. Literature suggests the caregiving experience in psychosis is one which can be highly traumatic. Yet, more recently, a small but growing body of research suggests that positive aspects to caring as well as growth narratives can also result from this experience. The aim of this review was to identify facilitators of PTG in family members caring for an individual with psychosis. Methods The review utilised thematic synthesis to analyse the included qualitative studies. A search of nine electronic databases was performed (Academic Search Complete, CINAHL, MEDLINE, PILOTS, ProQuest Central, PsycARTICLES, PsycINFO, Scopus, and Web of Science). Qualitative studies were included if any domains of PTG were reported. Results A total of twelve papers, including 156 participants met inclusion criteria and were analysed in the review. Thematic synthesis yielded four overarching themes, along with a number of subthemes: Unbreakable Family Bond, Meaning Making through Suffering, Strength through Solidarity and Accepting the Journey. Discussion Findings of this review suggest that caregivers can and do experience PTG when certain facilitators are present. Professionals can play a vital role in supporting caregivers to adjust to and progress along their journey in developing posttraumatic growth.

Role of Peer Support in Posttraumatic Growth Among Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Patients and Survivors.

Purpose: Adolescents and young adults (AYA) who undergo cancer treatment sometimes report posttraumatic growth (PTG). Although the importance of peer support has been suggested, its association with PTG, especially its five distinct domains, needs to be investigated further in AYA cancer survivors. The present study examined the role of demographics and peer support in PTG among AYA cancer patients and survivors. Methods: The present, multicenter, cross-sectional, web-based study enrolled AYA cancer patients and survivors (median age: 28 years). Of 549 AYA patients recruited, 212 from 11 cancer centers and 12 cancer patient communities agreed to participate by completing a self-reported measure of PTG (Extended Version of the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory-Japanese) and providing information about their diagnosis, treatment, peer support (affiliation with an AYA patient community or friendship with other AYA patients), and social status. Multiple regression analysis was used to identify significant correlations overall and in the five PTG domains. Results: PTG was positively associated with male sex, having a confidant, and friendship with other AYA patients, and negatively associated with cranial radiation. Friendship with other AYA patients was positively associated with four of the five PTG subscales. For the five subscale scores, "cranial radiation" was negatively associated with "relating to others"; "belonging to a religion" was positively associated with "spiritual change"; and "having a confidant" was positively associated with "relating to others" and "new possibility." Conclusion: "Having a confidant" and "friendship with other AYA patients" were positively associated with PTG. Psychosocial interventions mobilizing peer support may contribute to promoting PTG in AYA patients. UMIN000035439.

Do levels of posttraumatic growth vary by type of traumatic event experienced? An analysis of the Nurses' Health Study II.

Posttraumatic growth (PTG) has been documented in the aftermath of a range of traumatic events, including bereavement, physical assault, and rape. However, only a handful of studies have examined whether levels of total PTG, as well as the 5 domains of PTG (Appreciation of Life, New Possibilities, Relating to Others, Personal Strength, and Spiritual Change), vary by the type of potentially traumatic event. The current study examined variation in total PTG and PTG domains, as well as posttraumatic stress (PTS), by event type using data from a large epidemiological study. Participants were from a substudy of the Nurses' Health Study 2, an epidemiologic study of female nurses in the United States (N = 1,574). Controlling for demographic covariates, we found that rape was consistently associated with lower PTG, both total PTG and all five PTG domains, relative to other event types. Other findings were limited to specific PTG domains; for example, intimate partner violence (IPV) was associated with higher Personal Strength and New Possibilities. In contrast, rape and IPV were associated with higher PTS, and the serious illness or injury of someone close with lower PTS, relative to other event types. These results add to the growing literature exploring variation in PTG by event type and suggest that different events could yield markedly different patterns of PTG domains and PTS. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Post-traumatic growth in family members of childhood cancer survivors—an updated systematic review

Abstract Background: Childhood cancer affects not only the patients, but their entire family. We systematically reviewed recent evidence of post-traumatic growth (PTG) among family members of childhood cancer survivors (CCS). Methods: We updated a systematic review of PTG among family members of CCS (including new evidence from March 2010 to December 2021). We screened 4 databases (PubMed, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and SCOPUS). Key study information and results were extracted for the quality appraisal. We narratively synthesized the evidence for reported levels and domains of PTG in caregivers (aim 1) and siblings (aim 2) and associated sociodemographic and psychosocial characteristics (aim 3) in families of CCS. Results: Of the 646 identified articles, 16 met eligibility criteria. Eleven studies used quantitative (all cross-sectional), 3 qualitative, and 2 mixed methods. Participants included parents and other primary caregivers (11 studies), grandparents (1 study), and siblings (5 studies). Most caregivers reported high levels of PTG, most often involving personal growth and stronger/closer family relationships. Siblings reported low-to-moderate PTG, with an emphasis on appreciating life and becoming more independent and mature. While sociodemographic and clinical characteristics were not associated with PTG, psychosocial factors such as personal resources, including social support and coping strategies, were associated with PTG outcomes. Conclusion: In the past decade, few studies have assessed PTG among families of CCS despite the call to focus on families in a previous review. We found that social support and proactive coping strategies may be the most helpful in promoting PTG.

Insecure attachment styles as predictors of posttraumatic growth in a South African student sample

South Africa, as a developing country, is characterized by high levels of crime, partner violence, and other traumatic experiences. Exposure to these traumas may lead to the development of post-traumatic stress disorder or, conversely, post-traumatic growth. Citizens in developing African countries appear to be at risk for the development of insecure attachment styles due to the cumulative effects of socio-economic risk factors. The prevalence of many possible traumatic experiences along with the risk of more insecure attachments set the stage for investigating the impact of insecure attachment on post-traumatic growth. The aim of this study was thus to determine whether two insecure attachment styles, namely anxious and avoidant attachment, were significant predictors of post-traumatic growth. The sample consisted of 233 undergraduate students from a South African university who had experienced a traumatic event. Participants’ ages ranged from 18 to 33 years ( M = 21 years) and were from various ethnic backgrounds (81.5% Black African, 7.7% White, 9% Coloured, and 3.9% Asian/Indian). Two self-report measures were administered via an online survey to assess attachment styles and post-traumatic growth. Results showed that an anxious attachment style was a significant negative predictor of post-traumatic growth. Furthermore, individuals with an avoidant attachment style were significantly less likely to experience post-traumatic growth through relating to others, than along the other domains of post-traumatic growth. The findings contribute by highlighting the importance of considering how insecure attachment styles may impact post-traumatic growth, as this could inform the treatment of trauma victims.

PTSD as a Moderator of the Relationship Between the Distribution of Personal Resources and Spiritual Change Among Participants of Hostilities in Ukraine.

The theory of conservation of resources (COR) can be used to search for mechanisms that explain spiritual changes caused by trauma. The present study aimed to verify whether PTSD could be a potential moderator between the distribution of personal resources and spiritual changes. The study included a total of 324 adults (75 women and 243 men) aged 18-74. The mean age was 34.3 (SD = 9.9). The Polish adaptation of Hobfoll's Conservation of Resources-Evaluation (COR-E), the posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) Checklist-Civilian Version and the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory were employed in the research. This study analyzed the spiritual change, which is one of the five domains of posttraumatic growth. The outcomes indicated the significant role of PTSD as a moderator of the relationships between 1) personal resources gain and spiritual change and 2) personal resources loss and spiritual change. PTSD is not a moderator in the relationship between assigning value to personal resources and spiritual change.

Locating event centrality in associations of emotion regulation with posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and posttraumatic growth in emerging adults

Previous research suggests that cognitive reappraisal (CR) and expressive suppression (ES) strategies of emotion regulation (ER) are associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and posttraumatic growth (PTG). How the patterns of these associations may vary in the context of event centrality (EC) however requires investigation to help delineate groups for whom the impact of event centrality may be more salient. We examined whether EC would moderate the associations of CR and ES with PTSD symptoms clusters and PTG domains among 388 emerging adults (18-30 year-olds) of Tiv ethnic group who were survivors of armed attack by Fulani herdsmen and were temporarily sheltered in two internally displaced persons’ (IDPs’) camps in North-central Nigeria. They completed self-report measures of the variables. Results indicated that EC strengthened the negative associations of CR and the positive associations of ES with avoidance, hyper-arousal and total PTSD symptoms, but not intrusion symptoms. For the PTG domains, EC only strengthened the positive association between CR and personal strength and weakened the association of ES with greater appreciation of life. These findings suggest that primary intervention programs that incorporate training of armed attack survivors in cognitive reappraisal strategy centered on the traumatic event could be effective in controlling PTSD but be less critical in engendering PTG. They also show that the psychological processes that underlie PTSD and PTG are related but involve nuances even within PTSD, and do not seamlessly set into the Janoff-Bulman's “strength through suffering” model of PTG. More research is required to test the model.

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

ObjectiveThis study aimed to: (1) evaluate posttraumatic growth in survivors of intimate partner violence, (2) compare and characterize this posttraumatic growth with the one measured in survivors of other types of violence, and (3) evaluate post-traumatic stress disorder and its relationship with posttraumatic growth in our clinical population. MethodsWe realized a monocentric pilot study in Poitiers (Vienne, France) recruiting 17 survivors of intimate partner violence and 42 survivors of other types of violence from two medical departments: the Unit of Forensic Medicine, where victims are oriented following complaints, and the Psychotrauma Center. Participants were administrated questionnaires comprising socio-demographics data and specific scales, namely the PTGI and PCL-5. ResultsWe found a higher prevalence of posttraumatic growth in survivors of intimate partner violence (82 %), when compared with survivors of sexual assault and other interpersonal types of violence (52 % and 53 %, respectively). Posttraumatic growth was low to moderate, and faster as it was detected in victims recruited in the Unit of Forensic Medicine. All domains of posttraumatic growth were positively affected, i.e. higher scores from the PTGI were recorded in survivors of intimate partner violence. No difference was found when results were compared between groups from the Psychotrauma Center. We were unable to identify socio-demographic predictors of posttraumatic growth. À posttraumatic stress disorder was found in survivors of intimate partner violence, and negatively related to posttraumatic growth. DiscussionTo our knowledge, this is the first study comparing post-traumatic growth across such conditions and using specific and recognized scales. Our pilot study demonstrated that survivors of intimate partner violence were able to develop low to moderate posttraumatic growth faster than survivors of other types of violence. All domains of posttraumatic growth were affected, demonstrating the ability of survivors to withstand adversity. Scientific data regarding the link between posttraumatic growth and posttraumatic stress disorder is unclear, probably depending on the trauma, the circumstances, the timing of the measurement. In our study, we found a clear negative correlation between the two parameters. Our results underline the necessity to provide overall and rapid intervention in survivors of intimate partner violence, comprising legal, psychological, social and medical approaches, to facilitate the development of posttraumatic growth.

Mediating role of post-traumatic growth in the relationship between inadequate disaster recovery and mental health outcomes: long-term evidence from the Wenchuan earthquake

ABSTRACT Background: The mental health outcomes from disasters have aroused great concern worldwide, yet few studies incorporate a long-term disaster recovery perspective. Evidence has also emerged about the importance of the social determinants of mental health, but aspects of recovery including disruptions to livelihoods and social networks remain relatively understudied. Objective: This study utilizes cognitive adaptation theory to examine the long-term relationship between inadequate disaster recovery and mental health outcomes while considering domains of post-traumatic growth (PTG) as mediators. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 1369 adult survivors of the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake. Correlation analyses and multivariable regression analyses examined the association between inadequate disaster recovery and mental health outcomes, while parallel multiple mediator models and structural equation model explored the mediating role of PTG among these relationships. Results: 52.2% and 8.1% of the respondents reported inadequate recovery on livelihood and social ties, respectively. Inadequate disaster recovery was associated with higher levels of PTSD and depressive symptoms, and this association was partially mediated by PTG. Lower reported PTG on the interpersonal relationship and new possibilities domains mediated the association between inadequate livelihood recovery on PTSD and depressive symptom severity, and enhanced personal strength mediated the association between inadequate social ties recovery on these symptoms. Conclusion: Enhancing disaster recovery is essential for mental health protection, and PTG may be a valuable starting point in cognitive therapy to protect against stress responses after trauma.