Posttraumatic Growth Research Articles

The Impact of Religious Practices on the Resilience and Post-Traumatic Growth of Adolescents

Resilience and post-traumatic growth play crucial roles in the development of adolescents, particularly when they encounter diverse obstacles in life. The objective of this study is to investigate the impact of religious practices on resilience and experience personal growth after experiencing trauma in adolescents. This research employs a quantitative methodology grounded on a positivist framework. Data were gathered using a simple random sampling method including 218 Muslim teenagers in Yogyakarta, Indonesia who had encountered stressful incidents in the preceding year. Statistical analysis was employed to examine the correlation between variables. This research illustrates that religious practices may serve as a substantial source of resilience for teenagers in managing trauma. Engagement in religious activities enhances resilience and fosters healthy development. These findings indicate the need for the amalgamation of spiritual support and psychological therapies to facilitate teenage rehabilitation.

Social Reintegration Experiences of Young Adult Cancer Survivors

This study uses the Q methodology to investigate the subjective perceptions of social reintegration among cancer survivors in their 20s and 30s. We organised a Q population through a pilot study and interviews and finalised 40 Q sample items. For P sample representativeness, we used purposive sampling and selected 12 individuals by age and cancer type. After a Q sorting process, we conducted a key factor analysis using Ken-Q Analysis Desktop Edition. We identified four types of P samples based on their perceptions and noted the main characteristics of each type. We characterised Type 1 as “recovery of presence through social reintegration seeking”, Type 2 as “confusion in social reintegration due to social prejudices”, Type 3 as “psychosocial support in the process of social reintegration”, and Type 4 as “blessing in disguise for post-traumatic growth”. The results suggest a need for practical and institutional support reflecting cancer survivors’ characteristics by type. This study provides basic data that researchers could use to develop coaching and counselling services to support the social reintegration of cancer survivors in their 20s and 30s.

Military sexual trauma, childhood trauma, and combat trauma: Associations with longitudinal posttraumatic growth among U.S. Veterans.

Military sexual trauma (MST), childhood trauma, and combat trauma are prevalent among U.S. military personnel. Cumulative trauma exposure may hinder posttraumatic growth, a positive psychological change following traumatic events, while social support can facilitate this growth. Understanding the influence of these traumas and social support on longitudinal posttraumatic growth is crucial. We assessed 1,230 veterans at 6, 9, 12, 18, and 24 months postinitial survey. Latent class analysis identified trauma experience classes, and latent growth models examined posttraumatic growth trajectories, incorporating social support as a time-varying covariate. The latent class analysis revealed four classes: high trauma exposure, moderate childhood trauma-moderate combat trauma, high MST-moderate combat trauma, and combat trauma only. Veterans in the combat-only class reported significant posttraumatic growth. The moderate childhood trauma-moderate combat class exhibited consistently low growth. Veterans in the high MST-moderate combat class showed slightly higher initial growth but no significant change over time. The high trauma exposure class experienced a significant decline in growth. Social support significantly predicted posttraumatic growth, with varying impacts across trauma classes. Interventions could be vital for survivors of MST, childhood trauma, or compounded traumas to enhance posttraumatic growth among military veterans. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Foreign experience in researching the problem оf post-traumatic personal growth

Foreign experience in researching the problem оf post-traumatic personal growth

Axiopsychologigal model of posttraumatic growth of personality

Axiopsychologigal model of posttraumatic growth of personality

Transforming Pain into a Purpose: Post-Traumatic Growth and Life Meaning in Gynaecological Cancer

Transforming Pain into a Purpose: Post-Traumatic Growth and Life Meaning in Gynaecological Cancer

Survivors of Placenta Accreta: What Their Blogs Can Tell Us

Prior cesarean birth is the most significant predictor of placenta accreta which can place the woman and her infant’s lives at risk. With the continuing increase in cesarean birth rate, it is essential that childbirth educators inform women of this life-threatening risk. Insightful information from blogs written by survivors of placenta accreta pregnancies can help guide clinical practice and childbirth education. Content analysis of 22 blogs posted on the internet identified seven themes that provide an insider’s view of placenta accreta: the shock of it all, living in constant fear, advocate for yourself to get some sense of control, my mental health is deteriorating, you saved our lives!, recommendations, and posttraumatic growth.

Associations between community social capital and posttraumatic growth among older survivors 11 years after a natural disaster.

We prospectively examined whether community-level social capital plays a significant role in developing Posttraumatic Growth (PTG) among older survivors of the 2011 Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. The baseline survey was conducted 7 months before the disaster among residents of a city located 80km west of the earthquake epicenter. The survey inquired about participants' health status and social capital (informal socializing and social participation, and social cohesion). Approximately 2.5 years after the disaster, we surveyed older survivors to assess their disaster experiences. A follow-up survey in 2022 inquired about PTG in the 11 years following experiences of the disaster (n = 1,819). Multilevel linear regression analysis showed that pre-disaster community-level informal socializing and social participation was associated with higher PTG scores (coefficient = 0.25, 95% CI: 0.02, 0.47). In cross-classified multilevel regression, maintenance of higher community-level informal socializing and social participation during the post-disaster period was associated with higher scores of PTG (coefficient = 0.22, 95% CI: 0.07, 0.37). Pre-disaster community-level informal socializing and social participation was associated with higher PTG scores among older survivors. Interventions encouraging social interactions among neighbors may be effective in promoting PTG of survivors after natural disasters.

The Effects of Correctional Environments on Correctional Mental Health Professionals: A Phenomenological Qualitative Study

ABSTRACT Despite their role on the frontlines of mental health services in the U.S., there is a paucity of research on the correctional mental health workforce. This article reports the findings of a phenomenological, qualitative study that explores how correctional mental health professionals perceive the effects of working in correctional environments. Qualitative interviews were conducted with correctional mental health professionals in Colorado (n = 22). Theoretical considerations on the experiences of correctional mental health professionals including burnout, trauma/secondary trauma, dehumanization, moral injury, corrections fatigue, and post-traumatic growth. Findings reveal that correctional mental health professionals’ experiences fall into five thematic categories: 1—relationships between mental health and corrections, 2—absence of clinical supervision, 3—harms of the correctional environment, 4—“a different world:” professional isolation, and 5—the power of purpose. Narrative excerpts from the participants are provided throughout to illustrate study themes. Study strengths and limitations, directions for future research and practice implications are also discussed.

The Psychological Health of Iranian Citizens Protesting the Actions of Their Country's Morality Police: La santé psychologique des citoyens iraniens qui manifestent contre les actions de la police des mœurs de leur pays.

To determine the mental health of Iranian citizens protesting the actions of their country's Morality Police. Street protests across Iran were met with violent suppression that included security forces reportedly targeting protestors' eyes. A group of 63 Iranian protestors (58.7% female; mean age 32.0 [SD = 9.43] years, from all socio-economic classes) who had been part of street protests against the regime's morality police, was recruited by convenience sampling between May and August 2023 by journalists working underground in Iran. The study was conducted in Farsi by telephone (n = 60) and in-person (n = 3). Demographic and psychometric data were collected, the latter including symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD; Impact of Events Scale-Revised) and depression (Beck Depression Inventory-Revised), in Farsi-validated scales. Between-group comparisons were undertaken with one-way ANOVA and post-hoc Tukey comparisons. Significance was set at P < 0.05. The protestors comprised three groups: not wounded (n = 27: 59.26% female, mean age 34.44 [SD = 12.11] years), non-eye wound (n = 23; 60.87% female, mean age 32.61 [SD = 5.89] years) and eye-wound (n = 13; 53.85% female, mean age 27.54 [SD = 6.58] years). The eye wound group (blinded in one or both eyes) had less severe intrusion symptoms of PTSD (P = 0.048) and depression (P = 0.0001) than the non-eye wound group. The not wounded group had less severe symptoms of depression than the non-eye wound group (P = 0.003). Every protestor who had lost sight regarded their actions, notwithstanding their physical consequences, in a positive psychological light. Contrary to our a-prior hypothesis, Iranian protestors blinded in one or both eyes were faring better psychologically than protestors with non-eye wounds. Possible reasons for this included higher rates of psychological treatment and social support in the eye-wound group compared to the other two groups post-injury and the nascent development of posttraumatic growth.

Posttraumatic growth in young adults with parents diagnosed with cancer: Application of the self-regulation model.

The rising incidence of cancer has led to an increased number of adult children impacted by parental cancer. Previous research primarily focused on younger individuals, leaving a gap in understanding the experiences of adult children aged 20-35. To examine a model that integrates the interrelationships among the disease's characteristics (i.e., disease stage), illness representations, coping strategies, and posttraumatic growth (PTG) in young adults with parents diagnosed with cancer. In addition, we examined indirect relationships involving illness representations as independent variables, coping strategies as mediators, and PTG as the outcome variable. The rising incidence of cancer has led to an increased number of adult children impacted by parental cancer. Previous research primarily focused on younger individuals, leaving a gap in understanding the experiences of adult children aged 20-35. This study examines a model that integrates the interrelationships among the disease's characteristics (i.e., disease stage), illness representations, coping strategies, and posttraumatic growth (PTG) in young adults with parents diagnosed with cancer. In addition, we examined indirect relationships involving illness representations as independent variables, coping strategies as mediators, and PTG as the outcome variable. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 109 adult children (ages 20-35) of cancer patients. Data were collected using the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory, the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire, and the COPE questionnaire. Path analysis was performed to test the study's hypotheses. The findings revealed that illness representations and coping strategies accounted for significant variance in PTG. Higher perceived severity of the parent's illness was associated with greater use of problem-focused and emotion-focused coping strategies, which were linked to higher PTG. Lower perceived control over the illness was associated with less use of problem-focused coping and subsequently lower PTG. This study underscores the importance of subjective perceptions and coping strategies in fostering PTG among young adults with parents diagnosed with cancer. The findings highlight the need for tailored psychosocial interventions to enhance adaptive illness representations and effective coping strategies, promoting resilience and growth in this unique demographic.

Reframing prolonged negative mental health effects of COVID-19: cognitive restructuring promotes posttraumatic growth

Objective The study aimed to investigate the level of peritraumatic distress in relation to possible traumatic outcomes in university personnel and students across three pandemic waves. Methods Three cross-sectional surveys were conducted to investigate university students and staff (n = 1426). An online survey including the COVID-19 Peritraumatic Distress Index (CPDI), Ways of Coping, Impact of Events Scale (IES), and Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI) were administered across three waves. Psychometric properties of the Hungarian version of CPDI were assessed and associations between peri/posttraumatic stress and coping were explored. Cluster analysis based on posttraumatic stress and growth was used to identify subgroups. Results An increasing trend of peritraumatic stress over the waves was found. Regression analyses revealed that two coping styles, cognitive restructuring and problem analysis were negatively and positively associated, respectively, with both peritraumatic and posttraumatic stress. Two-step cluster analysis conducted on PTGI and IES scores yielded three clusters of posttraumatic changes: IES-low/PTGI-low, IES-high/PTGI-low and IES moderate/PTGI-high. Multinomial regression showed that cognitive restructuring and peritraumatic stress were significant predictors of cluster membership. Conclusion Our findings point out that cognitive restructuring may be effective for dealing with longer-term psychological results of traumatic life events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, even in highly exposed groups of the society.

Proactive personality, social support and post-traumatic growth caused by COVID-19: mediating effect meaning in life in China

As the COVID-19 epidemic ends in China, it is worth exploring the growth after experiencing the trauma of the epidemic. China has been managing the epidemic for a relatively long time compared to other countries. Many scholars have researched trauma and post-traumatic growth in groups such as doctors and patients. However, little attention has been paid to the post-traumatic growth of ordinary people who experienced the epidemic in the Chinese context and the related influencing factors. Based on the educational system as the research context, this study proposes the effects of proactive personality and social support on PTG in the post-epidemic era through the mediation of meaningfulness of life. To empirically examine the influences of PTG in the post-epidemic era, an online survey of 1210 university students was conducted for data analysis. The analysis results suggest that proactive personality and social support positively influence meaning in life. Proactive personality, social support and meaning in life positively influence post-traumatic growth. Proactive personality and social support social support and proactive personality indirectly influence post-traumatic growth through the mediation of the meaning in life. This research empirically investigated the role of personality, social support, meaning in life, and post-traumatic growth among university students.

Professional Growth from Painful Experiences: Developing the Posttraumatic Growth Scale for Workers

Mental health problems among workers are important issues. While preventing such problems is crucial, it is also imperative to understand the potential positive transformation that can arise from work-related stressful events, especially considering that many workers have already experienced severe stress and that eliminating stress in the workplace is essentially impossible. This study focused on posttraumatic growth (PTG), the leading concept in capturing such positive transformation, and developed a PTG scale for workers (PTGS-W). Given that the original PTG scale was not developed with a focus on workplace or organizational settings, a scale adequately assessing workers’ PTG is necessary to provide important insights for occupational health practice and future research. Two studies were conducted. In Study 1, items were developed via an inductive method, and exploratory factor analysis extracted four factors. Each factor had sufficient internal consistency and demonstrated significant associations with the PTG-related scales. In Study 2, item response theory was applied to evaluate the psychometric properties of the items and to select items, followed by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), to test the hypothesis factor structure developed in Study 1. The CFA results indicated that the four-factor model fit well and provided support for the hypothesis. A 4-factor, 18-item scale was ultimately established. The results indicated that the PTGS-W exhibited satisfactory reliability and convergent validity. Additionally, significant associations were found between work engagement and job crafting, although some scales for the negative state yielded no association or a limited association. The strengths and limitations of the PTGS-W are discussed.

New Groups and Post-Traumatic Growth: Experimental Evidence That Gaining Group Memberships Supports Recovery From Natural Disaster

This paper provides the first experimental test of whether two social identity model of traumatic identity change processes—(i) group membership gain, and (ii) group membership continuity—predict post-traumatic growth (PTG) and post-traumatic stress (PTS) via social identity revitalization. Participants ( N = 210, Mage = 49.59 years) were adult flood survivors who were randomly allocated to one of three conditions: group membership gain, group membership continuity, or a weather control. Participants then completed measures of PTG, PTS, and social identity revitalization. Participants in the group membership gain condition reported greater social identity revitalization, compared to the group membership continuity and control conditions. Social identity revitalization, in turn, predicted PTG, and the indirect effect of group membership gain on PTG was significant. We concluded that gaining new group memberships play a role in supporting natural disaster recovery by fostering positive reappraisals of the disaster via social identity revitalization.

Manifestations of and factors influencing posttraumatic growth among Chinese Crohn's disease patients: a qualitative exploration.

This qualitative study aims to explore the manifestations of posttraumatic growth among Chinese patients with Crohn's disease from a cultural perspective and to identify the factors influencing it. A descriptive qualitative research method was used. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 19 patients with Crohn's disease from several hospitals in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China, and the China Crohn's and Colitis Foundation. There were five key manifestations of posttraumatic growth experienced by Chinese patients with Crohn's disease: improving interpersonal relationships, enhancing personal strengths, changing life priorities, expanding possibilities and gaining religious faith. Posttraumatic growth among patients was predominantly influenced by individual factors, the disease condition and social support. The findings regarding the manifestations of and factors influencing posttraumatic growth in Chinese patients with Crohn's disease are consistent with those in previous studies in patients with chronic diseases. However, our study underscores the multifaceted impact of Chinese cultural characteristics on posttraumatic growth among Crohn's disease patients. These findings can offer valuable guidance for future complex interventions and relevant clinical studies conducted within the Chinese population.

Spirituality, Resilience and Vicarious Posttraumatic Growth Among Orthopedic Nurses in Nigeria.

We examined whether the salutogenic nature of resilience is the pathway of association, as well as a moderating factor, between spirituality and vicarious posttraumatic growth (VPTG). Two hundred Nigerian orthopedic nurses completed the Resilience Scale (RS-14), Spiritual Involvement and Belief Scale-Revised (SIBS-R), and Posttraumatic Growth Inventory-Short Form (PTGI-SF). We found that greater spirituality and resilience were directly associated with high VPTG. Resilience helped to explain (mediated) the relationship between spirituality and VPT such that spirituality was linked to VPTG by virtue of high resilience. Moderation analysis indicated that resilience was most robustly associated with increased VPTG for nurses with high spirituality compared to those with moderate and low levels of spirituality. Findings may be relevant in integrative/complementary approaches to trauma work.

Dyadic coping, resilience, and posttraumatic growth in spinal cord injury patients and their spouses: An actor-partner interdependence mediation model analysis.

Despite the recognized importance of posttraumatic growth (PTG) in the recovery process, the mechanisms that promote PTG in spinal cord injury (SCI) patients and their spouses, especially the roles of dyadic coping (DC) and resilience, have not been fully explored. This study aimed to assess the PTG of patients with SCI and their spouses and to investigate the interrelationships among DC, resilience, and PTG within the dyadic context. A total of 154 SCI patient-spouse dyads were recruited from a rehabilitation hospital in China. All participants completed questionnaires about DC, resilience, and PTG. Our study was based on the actor-partner interdependence mediation model (APIMeM). SCI patients and their spouses experienced comparable PTG level, M(patients) = 56.05 ± 14.09, M(spouses) = 54.74 ± 15.31. In the APIMeM, the patients' and their spouses' DC exerted actor effects on their own resilience, β(patients) = .418, p < .001; β(spouses) = .409, p < .01, and their own resilience also exerted actor effects on their own PTG, β(patients) = .416, p < .001; β(spouses) = .431, p < .001. The mediating effects of resilience on the impact of patients' and spouses' own DC on their own PTG were confirmed. Our research offers new insight into the PTG of SCI patients and their spouses at the individual and dyadic levels. Resilience partially mediates the relationship between DC and PTG in couples coping with SCI. Specifically, DC between SCI patient-spouse dyads can not only directly influence the level of PTG but also impact PTG through resilience. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Post-traumatic growth, moral sensitivity and service behaviour among healthcare workers in the post-pandemic era of COVID-19 in mainland China: a cross-sectional study

ObjectivesTo investigate how post-traumatic growth (PTG) and moral sensitivity influence service behaviour among healthcare workers (HCWs) in mainland China post-COVID-19, with a focus on the mediating role of moral sensitivity.DesignCross- sectional survey design.SettingThis study was conducted in 27 provinces across mainland China, from 16 March to 2 April 2023.Participants1,193 HCWs, including 378 physicians and 815 nurses, were selected using convenience and snowball sampling methods.MethodsThe survey included the Post-traumatic Growth Inventory-Chinese version (PTGI-C), the Moral Sensitivity Questionnaire-Revised Chinese Version (MSQ-R-CV) and a service behaviour scale. Structural equation modelling was employed to analyse the data, focusing on the associations between PTG, moral sensitivity, and service behaviours.ResultsThe study found significant associations between PTG and moral sensitivity (r=0.49, p&lt;0.01), with both factors positively influencing HCWs’ service behaviours. Specifically, PTG had a direct effect on service behaviours (β=0.172, p&lt;0.01) and an indirect effect through moral sensitivity (β=0.333, p&lt;0.01), with moral sensitivity mediating 65.8% of PTG’s impact on service behaviours. The model explained 56.0% of the variance in service behaviours, indicating a substantial influence of these psychological factors on professional conduct.ConclusionsThe findings highlight the significant role of PTG and moral sensitivity in shaping the service behaviours of HCWs in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study suggests that enhancing PTG and moral sensitivity through targeted interventions could improve HCWs’ service delivery and resilience, emphasising the importance of incorporating psychological and ethical training into healthcare practices to prepare for future public health crises.

Beyond "post," "traumatic," "growth," and prediction in research on posttraumatic growth.

Thirty years after the introduction of posttraumatic growth (PTG), research on the concept has expanded dramatically. Novel theoretical perspectives included in this special issue, however, demonstrate that nearly every element of PTG requires revision. "Post" implies a definitive before and after adversity that simply does not exist, either empirically or in the everyday navigation of adversity, especially for marginalized people. "Trauma" is appropriately scaled to the gravity of some forms of adversity, yet the term is often overly pathologizing or flattening of individual experience. And "growth" is often misleading, difficult to operationalize, and always value-laden. Studying PTG requires grappling with these claims in a way that can inspire pessimism. What is left in PTG after we question the P, T, and G? In asking this question, we ultimately encounter the limits of empiricism. Drawing insights from contemporary research in lifespan development, we suggest that it may be impossible to prospectively predict, using individual-level variables, how people grapple with adversity and develop after it. There are limits to our understanding of PTG that may simply be insurmountable. But complementary perspectives in narrative research, especially those espoused in this issue, as well as in the humanities and the arts, offer a way forward. Retrospectively understanding adverse events and taking an idiographic and qualitative perspective on the ways in which people navigate them can both humanize and bolster inclusivity in PTG research. We conclude by suggesting a period of enhanced divergent exploration, one that embraces disciplinary humility and epistemological and methodological pluralism to further understand PTG. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).