Life Stressors, Allostatic Overload, and Their Impact on Posttraumatic Growth

Abstract

Posttraumatic growth (PTG) has rarely been explored in terms of a comparison between stressful events and chronic stress. The definition of allostatic overload (AO) refers to the chronic, cumulative effect of stressful situations in daily life experienced by the individual as taxing or exceeding his or her coping skills. Sixty breast cancer survivors and 60 healthy stressed women were divided into four groups according to various psychosocial variables: survivors with and without allostatic overload and healthy stressed women with and without allostatic overload. Women with breast cancer had higher scores on PTG scales reflecting new possibilities, personal strengths, and spiritual changes than healthy women with AO. Chronic stress may hamper growth following adversities. Evaluation of chronic stress may help in targeting interventions for promoting posttraumatic growth.

KEYWORDS:

• allostatic load
• breast cancer
• posttraumatic growth
• psychological well-being
• stress

Notes

*p < .05.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Chiara Ruini

Chiara Ruini is an assistant professor of clinical psychology at the University of Bologna. Her research interests include positive psychology, positive interventions, and their applications in clinical settings.

Emanuela Offidani

Emanuela Offidani is a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Psychology at the University of Bologna. Her research interests include biological correlates of stress, psychoneuroimmunology, and psychosomatic medicine.

Francesca Vescovelli

Francesca Vescovelli is completing an internship at the Health Psychology-Psychotherapy School, Department of Psychology, University of Bologna. Her research interests include health psychology, positive psychology, and psycho-oncology.