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BACKGROUND: The article concerns the psychology of trauma: the intensity of the experienced threats and reactions to the trauma in the form of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), defenses and post-traumatic growth (PTG) in Ukrainian immigrants in Poland. The issues of trauma psychology were studied in connection with the relationships with parents. PARTICIPANTS AND PROCEDURE: The methods used mainly concerned the specifics of experiencing strong threats (trauma) and responding to them (PCL-5 questionnaire, Psycho-Social and Psychic Defenses Questionnaire, Post-Traumatic Growth Inventory), determination of closeness to parents (Scale of Closeness to Biological Parents) and secure and non-secure attachment style (Attachment Style Questionnaire). The subjects were 178 people (including 147 women and 31 men), citizens of Ukraine, who arrived in Poland after the outbreak of war on February 24, 2022, and at the time of the study were living in and around Krakow, Wroclaw, Lublin, or Warsaw. The mean age of the subjects was 38 years (SD = 12.57). RESULTS: The results of the study indicate that non-secure attachment styles (anxious-avoidant and anxious-ambivalent), along with frustration of the need for competence and intensity of threats, are predictors of PTSD and non-constructive defenses. In contrast, a secure attachment style, along with frustration of the need for competence and intensity of threats, is a predictor of constructive defenses, while a secure attachment style is a predictor of PTG. Statistical analyses show that closeness to the mother is not significantly associated with any of the explained variables. CONCLUSIONS: The accumulation of risks associated with war trauma and the necessity to cope with them are strongly associated with the ongoing war. Attachment styles support or hinder the process of adaptation. The absence of closeness to the mother among the predictors in the models tested represents the most intriguing result, to be confirmed in further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article intends to explore the rational association connecting Kurt Vonnegut's encounter with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and Post-traumatic Growth's impact on his narrative. Previous literature lean on linking the authors' spring of creativity to PTSD, it is a legitimate intent, for this study, to look at things differently attempting to verify the potential facet(s) of transformation. The centre focus of this paper is analyzing Vonnegut's healing process to explore PTG's affirmative connotations and how much serenity it can provide on the long term. In other words, we investigate if trauma narratives, trauma fiction in Slaughterhouse-five and Timequake, are vivid transcripts of the progressive healing process as a proof of PTG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Posttraumatic growth (PTG) is a possible common reaction to exposure to potentially traumatic events (PTEs) during military service. However, knowledge about correlates of PTG among female combat veterans is sparse. This study examines associations between combat exposure, posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), general self‐efficacy (GSE), and PTG among Israeli female veterans. This is a cross‐sectional studyA volunteer sample of female Israeli combat veterans (n = 616) and non‐combat veterans (n = 484) responded to self‐report questionnaires. Combat veterans reported higher levels of combat exposure, PTSS, GSE, and PTG, as compared to non‐combat veterans. Among combat veterans, combat exposure and GSE were associated with greater PTG. Importantly, PTSS and GSE mediated the link between combat exposure and PTG. The study's findings are among the first to report about possible psychological growth outcomes among Israeli combat veterans. Clinicians treating female veterans coping with combat trauma should be aware of the heterogeneity of reactions to military service challenges and the importance of enhancing veterans' GSE to facilitate PTG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic pelvic pain affects 38 per 1,000 women yearly (Daniels & Khan, 2010; Zondervan et al., 1999), accompanied by various psychological sequelae. Positive psychology may offer new approaches to pelvic pain that complement existing interventions; these include post-traumatic growth (PTG), optimism, resilience, and models of recovery. In a sample of 132 females (aged 16 to 45+), cross-sectional research revealed that participants with pelvic pain of unknown cause had the highest levels of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. A regression analysis revealed that intrusive rumination, avoidant coping, and resilience were significant predictors of PTSD symptoms, and resilience and social support were predictors of PTG. Understanding the elements of positive psychology could help create positive psychology interventions focusing on chronic pelvic pain's impact on mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Until the third trimester of 2022, 103 million people worldwide had been forced to leave their homes and become refugees. The traumatic experiences of refugees can lead not only to mental disorders but also to Posttraumatic Growth (PTG). (1) To find the variables positively and negatively associated with PTG in refugees. (2) To investigate the relationship between PTG and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) among refugees. We systematically searched Medline, Web of Knowledge, PsycInfo, Scopus, and PTSD Pubs for studies about PTG in refugees. Epidemiological studies using the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory. Grey literature, reviews, and meta‐analysis. Risk of bias was assessed by the 'The Joanna Briggs Institute Prevalence Critical Appraisal Tool'. We included 24 studies investigating PTG and associated factors. The factors positively associated with PTG were social support, regular migration status, religiosity, satisfaction with life, time, and problem‐focussed and emotion‐focussed coping. The factors negatively associated with PTG were: irregular migration status, emotional suppression, and avoidance coping. Studies on PTG in refugees are essential to finding new ways to address mental health in this field. Few studies offered risk of bias, particularly regarding the sample selection. We conclude that PTG may be influenced by many factors and it would be of importance that the centres for support, as well as public policies, took that into account to foster the outcome and not only to focus on disease. This study was partially supported by CAPES and registered on PROSPERO (CRD42020215607). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We assessed levels of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and post-traumatic growth (PTG) during the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK using an online questionnaire, in May and June 2020, during "lockdown." Some 440 participants took part and 91.8% of the sample was female. Large numbers of participants had high levels of PTSD, with some 50.2% with "probable PTSD". Yet 49.5% of participants also demonstrated high levels of PTG. Regression analysis revealed rumination to be key predictors for PTSD and PTG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Positive health endpoints are not the opposite of negative endpoints. Previous studies examining posttraumatic stress disorders (PTSD) and posttraumatic growth (PTG) trajectories have overlooked the co-existence of PTSD and PTG, making it difficult to accurately distinguish individuals with various posttraumatic presentations, causing the effects of targeted interventions to be discounted. To fill this gap, the current study sought to examine joint PTSD and PTG trajectories in children and adolescents. Eight hundred and seventy-six Chinese children and adolescents were recruited to complete self-report questionnaires 6, 12, and 18 months after the Ya'an earthquake. Multiple-process growth mixture modeling analysis was used to test the study proposal. Five distinct joint PTSD and PTG trajectory types were found: recovery, growth, struggling, resistant, and delayed symptoms. Female students and students who felt trapped or fearful were more likely to be in the struggling group, and students who experienced injury to themselves or family members were more likely to belong to the delayed symptom group. These findings suggest that postdisaster psychological services should be provided to relieve delayed symptoms in individuals who experience injury to themselves or their family members, and individuals in the struggling group should be supported to achieve growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic is associated with Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms (PTSS) and self-reported Posttraumatic Growth (PTG) in the general population. This study used linear regressions for analyses, based on an online survey conducted during the COVID-19 lockdown among 2441 Chinese adults in February 2020. The results showed negative coping and attributing responsibilities to individuals were associated with more PTSS, while both positive and negative coping, as well as attributing responsibilities to individuals were related to more PTG. Moreover, attribution of responsibilities modified the association between coping and PTSS, but not PTG. These findings shed light on mental health interventions in a pandemic context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite increasing interest in the mental health of aging veterans, the pathogenic and salutogenic ramifications of war have not been investigated among aging veterans who received decorations of valor. Filling this gap, 73 Israeli decorated veterans (DVs) and 73 non-decorated veterans (n-DVs) (Mage = 68.5) were assessed for posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), depression and anxiety 18 and 45 years after the war, and for posttraumatic growth (PTG) 45 years after the war. Analyses revealed deteriorating posttraumatic avoidance among n-DVs but not among DVs, and significantly lower rates of anxiety and depression and higher rates of PTG among the DVs. These findings suggest that factors related to being a DV may foster resilience to posttraumatic sequelae and are potentially conducive to PTG in later life. Though the study precludes making causal inferences, it serves as a springboard for future investigations into positive mechanisms underlying DVs' relative resilience and growth in later life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traumatic events may lead to post‐traumatic growth (PTG). Nevertheless, little is known about the mechanisms leading to PTG, especially among older adults. This study sought to examine the direct relationship between world assumptions and PTG and the indirect relationship between them via two possible mediation pathways: post‐traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and meaning in life. One hundred fifty‐nine Holocaust survivors participated in the study (mean age = 82.34, SD = 5.81). Participants completed questionnaires of world assumptions, meaning in life, PTSS and PTG. The findings showed that world assumptions were positive and were positively associated with meaning in life and PTG and negatively associated with PTSS. The results of the multiple mediation model suggest that meaning in life and PTSS partially mediated the relations between world assumptions and PTG. Positive world assumptions were associated with higher meaning in life, which was associated with higher PTG. In contrast, despite the direct association between PTSS and PTG, the mediating effect of PTSS was negative, thus the more positive the world assumptions, the higher the PTG mediated by lower PTSS. The results suggest that the relationship between world assumptions and PTG may be direct and indirect. These findings suggest possible mechanisms underlying PTG, especially in old age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the present study was to expand the knowledge on trauma and post-traumatic growth (PTG) by exploring this relationship in parents who lost their children in Kashmir (India). The main aim of the present study was to examine whether spirituality and self-compassion mediate the relationship between trauma and PTG. Data were collected from 80 parents in the age range of 35–80 years (Mean Age = 52.09). Traumatic Grief scale Prigerson et al. (in Am J Psychiatry 154:616–623, 1997), Daily Spirituality Scale (Underwood and Teresi, Ann Behav Med 24(1):22–33, 2002), Self-Compassion Scale (Raes et al., Clin Psychol Psychoth 18:250–255, 2011), and PTG Inventory (Tedeschi and Calhoun, J Trauma Stress 9(3):455–471, 1996) scales were used to measure trauma, spirituality, self-compassion, and PTG, respectively. Results of the study indicated the presence of average amount of spirituality and high amount of trauma among the participants. High level of self-compassion and post-traumatic growth was also found among the participants. The results showed that there is no significant direct relationship between trauma and PTG; however, both the indirect paths (trauma, spirituality, and PTG as well as trauma, self-compassion, and PTG) were found to be significant. The results of the present study supported serial mediation model of Trauma and PTG through spirituality and self-compassion. It implies that trauma would lead to spirituality which in turn would lead to self-compassion and which would finally result in PTG. The result provided another lens to see the relationship between trauma and PTG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and objective: The study aim was to examine the predictive effect of parental attachment on positive psychological outcomes (posttraumatic growth, PTG) and negative psychological outcomes (posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression symptoms), and to test the mediating role of positive and negative coping in the relationship among adolescents following an earthquake in China. Design: The study used a longitudinal design with a 6-month time interval. Method: Data was collected from middle schools in the most severely affected areas at 18 and 24 months following an earthquake. Data were analyzed from 398 adolescents who completed self-report measures of parental attachment, coping, PTSD, depression, and PTG. Path analysis was conducted to examine the relationships among the main study variables. Results: Secure parental attachment predicted lower PTSD and depression symptoms at 24-months follow-up, and negative coping partly mediated the effects of parental attachment on PTSD and depression. No significant association was observed between parental attachment and PTG. Conclusions: The findings indicate that secure parental attachment had a protective effect for adolescents after the disaster. Such attachment may reduce the use of negative coping and in turn decrease psychological distress over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This cross-sectional study explored the prevalence of posttraumatic growth (PTG) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in Tibetan adolescent survivors (98% Tibetan and 2% Han) 6 years after the 2010 Yushu earthquake to identify the PTG predictors. In 2016, 850 high school students (from 11 to 20 years) in Yushu (N = 850) completed the self-rating depression scale, the PTSD Check List-Civilian version, the exposure degree scale, and the posttraumatic growth inventory. It was found that the PTG and probable PTSD prevalence rates were 49.7% and 8.9% 6 years after the earthquake, and that exposure level, depression level, and PTSD symptoms were all significant negative predictors for PTG in both the junior high school and senior high school students. Specifically, having a lower degree of exposure, a lower PTSD level, and no depression symptoms were associated with higher PTG. There was a significant PTG difference found between males and females; however, this gender difference was not found in the senior high school students. No significant PTG differences were found for the different ethnicities. The implications of the results and the limitations of this study are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although previous research has demonstrated that fear and guilt have an effect on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), it is still unclear how these two emotions affect posttraumatic growth (PTG). Moreover, few studies have examined the mechanisms by which fear and guilt affect PTSD and PTG. Guided by Lee et al.'s theory of PTSD generation mechanisms and Calhoun and Tedeschi's PTG theory, the current study proposes that intrusive rumination (IR) and deliberate rumination (DR) may play a mediating role in the effects of guilt and fear on PTSD and PTG. Objective: This study aimed to simultaneously examine the mediating roles of IR and DR in the relationship between fear, guilt, PTSD, and PTG. Method: This study employed a two-wave longitudinal design. A total of 408 adolescent survivors were assessed using self-report questionnaires after the Ya'an earthquake in China. Measures were obtained for trauma exposure, subjective fear, survivor guilt, IR, and DR at three and a half years after the Ya'an earthquake (Time 1), while PTSD and PTG were assessed at time point four and a half years after the Ya'an earthquake (Time 2). Results: The results showed that both fear and guilt had a direct and positive effect on PTSD and PTG. Fear and guilt were positive predictors of PTSD and negative predictors of PTG through the mediating variable of IR. DR mediated the relationship between guilt and PTG but not PTSD, and also mediated the relationship between IR and PTG. Conclusions: Study findings indicate that fear, guilt, and intrusive rumination may contribute to PTSD symptoms in adolescent trauma survivors. Results also suggest that adolescent survivors can grow emotionally and psychologically following traumatic events, and that directed rumination may contribute to such growth. Interventions that reduce fear, guilt, and intrusive rumination while increasing directed rumination may assist adolescent trauma survivors in recovery and growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Previous studies have found that suicide rates are likely to increase after the occurrence of earthquakes. Most existing studies that examined the relationship between PTSD and suicidality focus on risk factors. It remains unclear whether protective factors, such as post-traumatic growth (PTG) and social support, play a role in this relationship.Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the role of PTG and social support in the association between PTSD and suicidality, using data from a cross-sectional study conducted in China.Methods: 1,369 participants were recruited from two study sites that were severely affected by the Wenchuan earthquake. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses were conducted to examine the relationship between PTSD, PTG, social support, and suicidality.Results: The results indicate that the prevalence of suicidal ideation, suicide plans, and suicide attempts among adult survivors were 9.06%, 2.97% and 3.31%, respectively, even after 8 years following the Wenchuan earthquake. Furthermore, the findings show that PTSD was significantly associated with suicidality (OR = 1.96; 95% CI = 1.53, 2.52). Additionally, individuals reporting lower levels of social support and the acquisition of PTSD (OR = 5.99; 95% CI = 1.66, 21.56) were significantly related to suicidality. Moreover, compared to individuals who reported no presence of PTSD and high PTG, those who lived with PTSD and lower levels of PTG (OR = 2.33; 95%CI = 1.00, 5.42) were more likely to report suicidality.Limitations: The cross-sectional design of this study limits our ability to determine causal relationships. Effects of other related factors, such as cultural and life events, were not examined in this study.Conclusions: Suicidality is a long-term health issue among survivors of the Wenchuan earthquake. PTG and social support play important roles on the association between PTSD and suicidality and are important contributing factors to understanding this relationship. These results contribute new knowledge of suicidal risk for a number of years after an earthquake and have implications for further mental health promotion following earthquakes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objective: Although posttraumatic stress disorders (PTSD) and posttraumatic growth (PTG) can co-exist, and several theories suggest that social support, self-esteem, and hope can predict both PTSD and PTG, no study to date has examined the combined role of social support, self-esteem, and hope in PTSD and PTG. The present study aimed to simultaneously examine the mediating roles of self-esteem and hope in the relations between social support and PTSD, and between social support and PTG.Design: This study included 397 adolescents living in Lushan County, China, who were affected by the Ya'an earthquake.Method: The participants completed the self-report questionnaires at two and a half years after the earthquake. Structural equation models were built to examine the roles of social support, self-esteem, and hope in PTSD and PTG.Results: Social support directly and negatively predicted PTSD and positively predicted PTG. Moreover, social support negatively predicted PTSD via self-esteem, and positively predicted PTG via hope. In addition, social support positively predicted PTG through multiple mediating paths from self-esteem to hope.Conclusions: PTSD and PTG had different predictive paths. Specifically, social support reduced PTSD through enhanced self-esteem and promoted PTG through hope, or through the path from self-esteem to hope. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the this study was to test the association between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), posttraumatic growth (PTG), and coping strategies among Israeli mothers with prolonged exposure to rocket missiles. One hundred fifty-two mothers, from the Western Negev region of Israel, took part in the study. Respondents were affected by prolonged exposure to missile attacks even when they themselves had not been hit or injured. A positive correlation was found between PTSD and PTG. Problem-focused coping was found to mediate the relationship between PTSD and PTG; the higher the PTSD, the greater the use of problem-focused coping and the greater the posttraumatic growth. The results help understand the association between PTSD and PTG. The finding whereby problem-focused coping mediates the PTSD-PTG relationship is important for comprehending the association between the variables and the significance of growth in human life and for constructing intervention programs that promote growth following trauma. In addition, the study contributes to raising awareness both of how mothers cope and that they are a separate risk group with distinct growth possibilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study examined the longitudinal association between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and posttraumatic growth (PTG) as well as the moderating role of trait resilience in that association. Participants completed measures of PTSD symptoms, PTG, and trait resilience at 12, 18, and 24 months after the Wenchuan earthquake. Results showed that after adjusting PTG at wave 1, PTSD symptoms at wave 1 were positively and significantly related to PTG at wave 2 for low-resilience individuals, but not for individuals with the other two levels (middle and high) of trait resilience. After adjusting PTSD symptoms at wave 1, PTG at wave 1 was positively and significantly related to PTSD symptoms at wave 2 for middle-resilience individuals, but not for individuals with the other two levels (low and high) of trait resilience. No other cross-lagged correlations were significant. Implications of the results for psychological service providers are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated negative and positive emotional outcomes among civilians exposed to ongoing terror. The measures included direct, indirect, and subjective exposure to terror; human resources; posttraumatic stress (PTS) symptoms; distress; and posttraumatic growth (PTG). The results indicate that whereas direct exposure is not related to the outcomes, exposure of family members to terror is positively related to PTS and to PTG. Path analysis revealed an indirect relationship between subjective exposure and PTG mediated by PTS, suggesting the role of emotional suffering in inducing growth. Clinical implications of incorporating PTG strategies into the treatment of terror victims are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of living under long-term bombardment were studied among 1,004 adolescent students in Israel. The study was based on the theoretical framework of the conservation of resources and examined differences between boys and girls who live in high and low socioeconomic environments. The findings revealed that students from a low socioeconomic status (SES) and girls present more negative symptoms than high SES students and boys, while concomitantly exhibiting greater posttraumatic growth. The contribution of social resources for coping and the relationship between positive and negative symptoms as result of exposure to terrorism are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on war trauma has been dominated by a pathological focus for decades. Researchers have now counterbalanced studies of trauma with a new focus, positive changes following crisis. This prospective study examines how specific psychological factors might influence post-war adaptive outcomes (the coexistence of posttraumatic growth [PTG] and posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD] symptoms) in a sample of 50 Kosovar war refugees. Individual differences in positive attitude and coping strategies were explored. Hope assessed during resettlement, and cognitive coping strategies, employed between resettlement and follow-up, were associated with PTG, controlling for war-related trauma and baseline symptoms. PTG and symptoms were unrelated. No predictors for present symptoms were identified. Future mental health practice with refugees should address both positive and negative aspects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]