Advancing Our Understanding of Posttraumatic Growth by Considering Event Centrality

Abstract

Research on posttraumatic growth (PTG) has been plagued by inconsistencies and small effect sizes. We hypothesized that relationships between PTG and other psychological variables would become stronger and more consistent with expectations when we limited analyses to only adverse events construed as central to one's identity. The results supported the hypothesis. Comparing our results to those from a recent meta-analysis on PTG, the relationships between PTG, depression, and positive affect were stronger when examining only events central to identity. Additionally, previously nonsignificant correlations with anxiety, global distress, and physical health became significant in the expected directions. Lastly, a formerly puzzling positive correlation between PTG and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms became nonsignificant. In stark contrast, limiting analyses to only events meeting the DSM-IV A1 criterion did not produce similar results. Future PTG studies should exclude events that fail to cause disruption in respondents' core beliefs to better separate coping behaviors from PTG.

The authors would like to thank Jennifer Callahan for her helpful comments on a draft of this article.

Notes

Note. All df = 1, 2291, except anxiety (1, 706).

*p < .05; **p < .01; ***p < .001.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Adriel Boals

Adriel Boals is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of North Texas. His research interests include stress and coping, stress and cognition, and the role of memory and cognition in PTSD.

Jennifer M. Steward

Jennifer Steward recently received her B.S. in psychology from the University of North Texas. She plans to attend graduate school in clinical psychology. The current paper was based on her honor's thesis.

Darnell Schuettler

Darnell Schuettler is a doctoral candidate currently on internship at Wilford Hall Medical Center, Lackland AFB, San Antonio, TX. Her research interest centers on trauma aftermath, specifically in identifying factors that differentiate paths of growth versus debilitation.