Abstract
A Palestinian sample was used to explore the dynamics of posttraumatic growth (PTG) across different trauma types. Cumulative trauma, posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, PTG, and stress-related growth (SRG) measures were administered. As predicted, only type I traumas were associated with PTG. Type II traumas were not associated with PTG, while type III collective identity traumas were negatively associated with PTG. Results indicated that PTG was not a significant predictor of any mental health symptoms and that PTG is different from SRG, which seems to describe growth in non-traumatic situations. The results suggest that it is important to analyze trauma profiles rather than single trauma.
Acknowledgments
The authors acknowledge extremely helpful comments from Professor Richard Tedeschi on a previous version of this article.
Notes
Note. F1 = post-trauma internal growth factor; F2 = post-trauma relational growth factor; Subscale 1 = PTG appreciation of life; Subscale 2 = PTG spiritual growth; Subscale 3 = PTG personal strength; Subscale 4 = PTG new possibilities; Subscale 5 = PTG relationships with others; SRG = stress-related growth.
†p < .10; *p < .05; **p < .01; ***p < .001.
Note. F1 = post-trauma internal growth factor; F2 = post-trauma relational growth factor; Subscale 1 = PTG appreciation of life; Subscale 2 = PTG spiritual growth; Subscale 3 = PTG personal strength; Subscale 4 = PTG new possibilities; Subscale 5 = PTG relationships with others.
†p < .10; *p < .05; **p < .01; ***p < .001.
Note. Gender, age, marital status, education, and negative appraisal of cumulative trauma were entered in the first step and PTG in the second step (as independent variables). CT NA = cumulative trauma negative appraisal.
**p < .01; ***p < .001.