Process Of Posttraumatic Growth Research Articles

A Longitudinal Investigation of Posttraumatic Growth and Quality of Life in Liver Transplant Recipients.

What does it mean to adjust to a liver transplant? Quality of life research has offered an impairment model, defining adjustment as the absence of diagnosed psychological disorder or of limitations in physical functioning. Recently emerging research on posttraumatic growth testifies the prevalence of positive life changes following the life-threatening illnesses. The present study aimed to verify the presence of the posttraumatic growth process in liver transplant patients and its relationship with traditional quality of life. The research was a longitudinally descriptive study. A sample of 233 liver transplant patients were assessed with the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory and the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy General. Over 50% of patients showed moderate-high levels in all dimensions of the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory. Further posttraumatic growth is correlated with the functional and social dimensions of quality of life construct and not with physical and emotional functioning. These results confirmed that posttraumatic growth is related to a different definition of well-being than the one traditionally used in the assessment of quality of life. Adjustment to liver transplant is a complex and systemic process, which requires a multidisciplinary approach to be able to support and encourages adaptation through all the needed functional elements. An interesting perspective is offered by the narrative medicine approach, that highlighted the importance to pay specific attention to the words and expression used by patients related to changes in life and not only to traditional words reporting physical status.

The Relationship Between Posttraumatic Cognitive Change, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, and Posttraumatic Growth Among Chinese Adolescents After the Yancheng Tornado: The Mediating Effect of Rumination.

The aim of this study was to explore the different cognitive processes involved in the development of posttraumatic stress disorders (PTSDs) and posttraumatic growth (PTG). One year after the Yancheng tornado, 455 middle school students were assessed to study how posttraumatic cognitive change (PCC) influenced PTSD and PTG among traumatized Chinese adolescents through the role of rumination. The results indicated that intrusive rumination partly mediated the relationship between PCC and PTSD, and deliberate rumination partly mediated the relationship between PCC and PTSD and completely mediated the relationship between PCC and PTG. These results suggest that the cognitive processes of PTSD and PTG are different. Furthermore, the study also suggests that PTSD and PTG can coexist in individuals. This study may offer some suggestions for clinical practice after traumatic events.

Analysis of Posttraumatic Growth Process: Based on Grounded Theory

Analysis of Posttraumatic Growth Process: Based on Grounded Theory

‘Getting on with life’: Experiences of post-traumatic growth following a myocardial infarction

This paper explores the experience and process of post-traumatic growth in people who have suffered a heart attack or myocardial infarction (MI) in the UK. Six participants were recruited from the South Wales Cardiac Rehabilitation Service database and asked about their experiences of self, relationships and world view after an MI.

ПОСТТРАВМАТИЧНЕЗРОСТАННЯВРЕАБІЛІТАЦІЙНОМУПРОЦЕСІ

This topic is particularly relevant in the context of combat operations in eastern Ukraine against the occupation of the country, where members of the combined forces operation in each day are in a situation threatening the life and risk of getting a military psychological trauma. The article considers the elements and conditions of post-traumatic growth in the context of the rehabilitation process and the social promotion of human development after a traumatic event. The phenomenon of post-traumatic growth can transform the concept of rehabilitation into a term that can be labeled as "proabilitation". The forms of social and rehabilitation support in terms of creating conditions for post-traumatic growth and their effectiveness are explored. The theoretical and applied models with resource elements of the rehabilitation process and post-traumatic growth process are analyzed. It is noted that the traditional model of posttraumatic growth pay attention to the process of rumination and getting control over it and ignores one of the basic symptom of posttraumatic stress disorder, such as uncontrolled visual images (flash backs). The two-component concept of post-traumatic growth, which may be «illusory» or «adaptive», can also be presented as a «compensatory» or «healing» type with regard to the presence or absence of post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms after reaching post-traumatic growth. Posttraumatic growth occurs in several domains and can be depending on the type of traumatic event experienced, the individual reactions and the psychological qualities of the person. This process is not such that it automatically eliminates the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, the same, rejecting the need for psychotherapeutic and psychosocial care and focusing only on post-traumatic growth can be a false strategy for those who have experienced a traumatic event. Consequently, the phenomenon of post-traumatic growth can be regarded as a powerful resource factor for the rehabilitation process, in particular, as a motivational component of psychosocial assistance.

Memory as a cognitive representation of post-traumatic growth

ABSTRACTBackground and objectives: Previous studies on traumatic memory have primarily focused on the correlation between traumatic symptoms and negative memories, often utilizing the directed forgetting paradigm. Different from previous research, this study aimed to examine the correlation of post-traumatic growth (PTG) and positive memories, with the objective to explore the directed forgetting effect of positive material and its relationship with PTG.Design: A 2 (PTG level: high vs. low) × 2 (instructions: To-Be-Forgotten vs. To-Be-Remembered) × 3 (word valence: positive vs. neutral vs. trauma related) mixed-factorial-designed experiment was applied.Methods: Participants were 46 senior high-school students who had survived in the Sichuan earthquake in 2008. Participants were divided into two groups based on PTG: high (n = 24) and low (n = 22). Both groups were presented, and asked to recall, three word categories (positive, trauma-related, and neutral) following the directed forgetting paradigm.Results: A mixed-design factorial ANOVA yielded a significant interaction effect of word valence and PTG group, with the high-PTG group recalling more positive words than the low-PTG group.Conclusions: This was the first study to identify a key cognitive process of PTG by integrating the directed forgetting paradigm into an investigation of PTG.

A Qualitative Study for the Process of Posttraumatic Growth: A Comparison of trauma survivors’ and therapists’ perspective

A Qualitative Study for the Process of Posttraumatic Growth: A Comparison of trauma survivors’ and therapists’ perspective

Impacts of making sense of adversity on depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, and posttraumatic growth among a sample of mainly newly diagnosed HIV-positive Chinese young homosexual men: the mediating role of resilience

ABSTRACTThe experience of HIV, as a life-transforming event, might produce both negative and positive outcomes. Guided by the stress appraisal model, the present study investigated the hypothesized pathways in predicting symptomatology and posttraumatic growth (PTG) in a sample of Chinese male patients with HIV (PHIV) who were mainly newly diagnosed, young, and homosexual. In this cross-sectional study, 141 Chinese male PHIV (87.2% of them were homosexual) completed measures of making negative/positive sense of adversity, resilience, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and PTG. The path analysis results showed that making negative sense of adversity was associated with depression and PTSD, partially mediated by low levels of resilience, whereas making positive sense of adversity was associated with PTG, partially mediated by resilience. The results suggest that negative and positive outcomes of trauma are impacted by making negative and positive sense of adversity, respectively, via two separate pathways, both mediated by resilience. Our findings contribute to an understanding of the cognitive process of symptomatology and PTG in the HIV context. Theoretical considerations, clinical implications, and future directions are discussed.

Post-traumatic growth enhances social identification in liver transplant patients: A longitudinal study

ObjectiveThe main aim of this paper is to investigate the prediction that greater subjective identification with relevant groups and social categories (i.e. ‘family’ and ‘transplantees’) can be an outcome of post-traumatic growth (PTG). To date there are no studies that have explored these relationships. MethodsA longitudinal study was conducted with a group of 100 liver transplant patients from the outpatient populations of the participating centre. Data were collected by means of a self-report questionnaire, which was completed at two different time points (T1 and T2) that were 24months apart. PTG was assessed using the Post-Traumatic Growth Inventory, while both transplantee and family identification were assessed using group identification scales. A path model was tested, using a structural equation model (SEM) approach, to examine the reciprocal effects among family identification, transplantee identification, and PTG over time. ResultsAs predicted, we found that greater PTG T1 predicted both greater family identification T2 and marginally greater transplantee identification T2. However, the two identification variables did not predict PTG over time. ConclusionsThe results show that family identification and transplantee identification may be outcomes of the PTG process, confirming the importance of adopting a thriving multidimensional model of adjustment to medical illness, whereby people facing adverse life events, such as transplantation, may flourish rather than deteriorate psychologically.

The Effects of Perceived Threat, Optimism and Meaning in Life on Cancer Patient's Posttraumatic Growth

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of perceived threats, optimism, and meaning in life on cancer patient's posttraumatic growth. This study also aimed to examine the relationship between each variable, and to search for posttraumatic growth's process. The participants were 169 cancer patients and they each completed a measure of the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory, the Life Orientation Test-Revised, the Meaning in Life Questionnaire, and death anxiety and the stage of cancer as perceived threat. The data were analyzed by correlation analysis, hierarchical regression analysis and structural equation modeling. The results of this study can be summarized as follows. First, the current death anxiety was negatively associated with posttraumatic growth. The stage of cancer was positively associated with posttraumatic growth. Death anxiety at the time of cancer diagnosis, however, was not significantly associated with posttraumatic growth. Second, both optimism and meaning in life were significantly associated with posttraumatic growth. The meaning in life also mediated the relation between optimism and posttraumatic growth. These results suggest that psychological intervention is as important as physical intervention for cancer patients. Finally, the limitations of this study were discussed along with suggestions for further research. (Korean J Str Res 2016;24:1∼11)

Raising a Child with Down Syndrome: Do Preferred Coping Strategies Explain Differences in Parental Health?

The aim of this study was to determine coping strategies which may represent important personal resources and have a buffering effect in preventing mental health problems in parents of children with Down syndrome. Forty-nine parents of children with Down syndrome completed self-administrated measures of psychological and physical health problems, and coping behaviour, using several established measuring instruments. According to the hierarchical regression analyses, parents who often used regenerative coping strategies, and who experienced positive personal changes in terms of posttraumatic growth suffered from less anxiety and somatisation symptoms, whereas dysfunctional coping was the best predictor for parental depression and physical symptoms. Regenerative coping mediated between parental tendency to recognize their emotional needs and somatisation symptoms. Intervention programs for families of children with Down syndrome may benefit if they address parents’ reflection about their feelings, foster posttraumatic growth processes, and impart knowledge about long-term regenerative coping strategies.

The relationship between rumination, posttraumatic stress disorder, and posttraumatic growth among Chinese adolescents after earthquake: A longitudinal study

BackgroundPosttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and posttraumatic growth (PTG) can coexist in individuals following traumatic experiences, and cognitive pathways to PTSD and PTG can be different. Nevertheless, to date, no study using the longitudinal-design has examine the cognitive process of PTSD and PTG, nor has the specific causal relation between cognitive factors and PTSD/PTG been clarified in the aftermath of disaster. Therefore, the aim of this study was to extend previous study from a longitudinal perspective, and further examine the possible cognitive mechanism of PTSD and PTG in a long-time frame after earthquake. Methods310 middle school students in Lushan County were assessed using the Event-Related Rumination Inventory, the Post-Traumatic Growth Inventory and the Child PTSD Symptom Scale at 6 months (T1), 12 months (T2) and 18 months (T3) after the Ya'an earthquake. ResultsIntrusive rumination at T2 partly mediated the relationship of intrusive rumination at T1 to PTSD but not PTG at T3. Deliberate rumination at T2 did not mediate the relationship of intrusive rumination at T1 and PTG/PTSD at T3 but completely mediated the relation of intrusive rumination at T2 and PTSD/PTG at T3. LimitationsAll variables were measured by self-report scales. ConclusionsIntrusive rumination at T1 had an effect on PTSD but not PTG at T3 through intrusive rumination at T2, and it could affect PTSD and PTG at T3 through deliberate rumination at T2. These results suggest that PTSD and PTG are influenced by different mechanisms and that intrusive rumination leads to PTSD, whereas deliberate rumination elicits PTG in a long time after trauma.

Post-traumatic growth at the international level: The obstructive role played by translators and editors of Rwandan Genocide testimonies

Between the months of April and July 1994, around 800,000 people were murdered in what has become known as the Rwanda Genocide. In an attempt to record people's experiences and preserve the memory of this period of violence, the Genocide Archive of Rwanda, managed by the Aegis Trust, began collecting oral testimonies from those who survived. Many of these testimonies have subsequently been translated by the archive from Kinyarwanda into English and/or French and some have also been published in book format. This article analyzes processes of post-traumatic growth at an international level in the testimonies of female survivors. It reveals that although these women actively pursue agency (by holding the international community to account) and communion (by seeking to gain the international community's acknowledgement), their voices are being distorted by translators and editors who instead perpetuate the dominant Western understanding of survivors as passive, voiceless victims of an unavoidable period of violence.

The process of posttraumatic growth in individuals with traumatic spinal cord injury in Mainland China: An interpretative phenomenological analysis.

This study aims to explore the process of posttraumatic growth for individuals who have sustained a traumatic spinal cord injury. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 participants with spinal cord injury from the local community. Interviews were recorded on audiotape and transcribed verbatim. Transcripts were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Three superordinate themes emerged: struggling in hopelessness, disentangling from disability, facing challenge, and achieving positive growth. Our findings reveal how individuals with spinal cord injury overcome their disability to achieve personal growth, and can contribute to clinicians' understanding of psychological responses to spinal cord injury while promoting physical and psychological recovery in these individuals.

The need for friendships and information: Dimensions of social support and posttraumatic growth among women with breast cancer.

Employing a cross-sectional design, the current study examined the relationships between various agents and types of support and posttraumatic growth (PTG) among women with breast cancer. Eighty married women who were coping with breast cancer completed social support and PTG questionnaires. All agents of social support (family, friends, belief-based), excluding spousal support, and all types of social support were found to be related to the various PTG dimensions and its total score. Regression analyses revealed that, among the agents of support, only support provided from friends and belief-based support uniquely contribute to prediction of total PTG score. While examining the contribution of various types of support, only cognitive support had a unique contribution to prediction of total PTG score. Various agents and types of support play different roles in the PTG process following breast cancer. Accordingly, friends as an agent of support and information as a type of support seem to be most important in enhancing PTG among women with breast cancer.

Insights into processes of posttraumatic growth through narrative analysis of chronic illness stories.

Insights into processes of posttraumatic growth through narrative analysis of chronic illness stories.

Relation between resiliency and post-traumatic growth in a group of paramedics: The mediating role of coping strategies.

The purpose of the research is to investigate the mediating role of coping strategies for stress in the relation between resiliency and post-traumatic growth in a group of paramedics. Data of 80 paramedics who have experienced traumatic event at their worksites was analyzed. The age range of the participants was 21-67 years old (mean: 35.47, standard deviation: 10.21). The Post-traumatic Growth Inventory, the Assessment Resiliency Scale and Inventory to Measure Coping Strategies for Stress--Mini-Cope were used in the study. Venting of negative emotions and denial appeared as suppressors in analyzing the relation, while planning plays mediating role between resiliency and post-traumatic growth. In the process of post-traumatic growth, both avoidance and problem-focused strategies are important. Moreover, controlling such strategies as Venting and Denial may result in a high level of posttraumatic growth in the study group. The data supports that resiliency may have direct or indirect impact on post-traumatic changes. The results allow to understand the mechanisms of resiliency better, that relationship with post-traumatic growth is ambiguous.

Fostering Growth in the Survivorship Experience: Investigating Breast Cancer Survivors’ Lived Experiences Scaling Mt. Kilimanjaro from a Posttraumatic Growth Perspective

The aim of this study was to use an ethnographic case study approach to explore breast cancer survivors’ experiences scaling Mt. Kilimanjaro from a posttraumatic growth perspective. Three breast cancer survivors who participated in interviews and observations during a nine-day climb on the mountain were included in this study. Findings are presented first as three individual case studies and then offered as a cross-case analysis to emphasize themes that illustrated the women’s shared experiences of growing from adversity. Participation in the climb on Mt. Kilimanjaro provided an opportunity for the women to (a) nurture priorities, (b) foster self-belief, and (c) cultivate connections. Future research should conduct investigations into the role of physical activity as a facilitator of the posttraumatic growth process.

An Analysis of Posttraumatic Growth Process: Triple Mediation Effects of Difficulties in Emotion Regulation, Intrusive and Deliberate Rumination, and Moderation Effects of Optimism

An Analysis of Posttraumatic Growth Process: Triple Mediation Effects of Difficulties in Emotion Regulation, Intrusive and Deliberate Rumination, and Moderation Effects of Optimism

Personal emotions, emotional climate, social sharing, beliefs, and values among people affected and unaffected by past political violence.

Beliefs, emotions, and perception of socioemotional climate were analyzed in people affected and unaffected by past political violence in Chile (N = 1278). Compared with unaffected people, affected people reported a more positive attitude toward transitional justice procedure, were better informed, were more likely to reject an attitude of forgetting about the past, regarded institutional apologies as less sincere and effective, judged the current social climate as less positive, reported higher negative emotions related to the past, and showed less purpose in life. No differences were found for forgiveness or for outcomes of the transitional justice procedures or Truth Commissions, such as documentation of the truth or creation of an inclusive collective memory. Across groups, a negative view of forgiveness and a positive view of Truth Commissions dominated the picture. However, compared with nonvictims, victims also reported more pride and were more likely to endorse Universalist values, and this suggested that victims were subject, simultaneously, to a long-term negative impact of past events and a process of posttraumatic growth.