The report of posttraumatic growth in Malaysian cancer patients:relationships with psychological distress and coping strategies

Objective: The challenge of a cancer diagnosis may eventually lead to the experience of positive psychological changes, also referred to as posttraumatic growth. As most research on posttraumatic growth in cancer patients has been conducted in Western countries, little is known about the experience of such positive psychological changes in non-Western countries. Therefore, the purpose of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the prevalence of posttraumatic growth in a Malaysian sample of cancer patients. Secondly, we examined the association of posttraumatic growth with patients' report of psychological distress and their use of coping strategies. Methods: The study was conducted in 113 cancer patients. Posttraumatic growth was measured by the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory, coping strategies by the brief COPE, and psychological distress by the Symptom Check List (SCL-90-R). Results: Results showed that many patients reported posttraumatic growth, mostly in the domain of appreciation of life. As hypothesized, the experience of posttraumatic growth was not significantly related to the level of psychological distress. Findings indicated that greater use of the coping strategies instrumental support, positive reframing, and humor was associated with more posttraumatic growth. Conclusion: Overall, this study suggests that posttraumatic growth is not only a Western phenomenon. Malaysian cancer patients show similar trends in the report of growth as well as in its correlates as their Western counterparts. Copyright (C) 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

A cross-sectional study to explore the mediating effect of intrinsic aspiration on the association between unconditional positive self-regard and posttraumatic growth

Person-centered psychotherapy is based on the growth paradigm of psychological distress. Person-centered therapy is, therefore, ideally placed to facilitate posttraumatic growth. There were two aims of this study. The first was to explore the association between unconditional positive self-regard and the construct of posttraumatic growth. The second was to explore the mediating effect of intrinsic aspirations on the association between unconditional positive self-regard and posttraumatic growth. A cross-sectional correlation design was used to ask a sample of Cypriot origin participants (N = 99) to complete the Unconditional Positive Self-Regard Scale (UPSR), Intrinsic Aspirations subscale of the Aspirations Index and Post Traumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI). Findings showed that unconditional positive self-regard was significantly positively correlated with posttraumatic growth and that the association between unconditional positive self-regard and posttraumatic growth was successfully partially mediated by intrinsic aspirations. This is the first study to test for the mechanisms by which unconditional positive self-regard predicts posttraumatic growth. The findings also support a link between the phenomenon of posttraumatic growth and person-centered theory at a construct level. Implications for person-centered therapy are discussed and suggestions for further research are proposed

A theory on reports of constructive (real) and illusory posttraumatic growth

It has been suggested that self-reported posttraumatic growth could sometimes be considered as a way for people to protect themselves from the distress of trauma. In this case, reports of posttraumatic growth could be illusory. We suggest a theory on self-reported constructive (real) posttraumatic growth and illusory posttraumatic growth by using Rogers’s (1959) theory and the work by Vaillant (1995). Through this theoretical framework we attempt to explain when reports of posttraumatic growth are likely to be constructive and real and when such reports are likely to represent aspects of illusions. We will also consider the implications for research practice

KONTRIBUSI PERCEIVED SOCIAL SUPPORT DALAM MEMODERASI PENGARUH RESILIENSI TERHADAP POSTTRAUMATIC GROWTH PADA PENYINTAS ERUPSI GUNUNG MERAPI

Selain memicu dampak negatif, bencana alam sebagai salah satu peristiwa traumatik juga bisa mendorong perkembangan individu yang mengarah pada perubahan positif, hal ini dikenal dengan posttraumatic growth. Beberapa studi mengemukakan jika perubahan ini dipengaruhi oleh beberapa konstruk psikologis, diantaranya resiliensi serta perceived social support. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui efek moderasi dari perceived social support pada pengaruh resiliensi terhadap posttraumatic growth. Dengan menggunakan teknik conveience sampling, penelitian ini dilakukan kepada 82 penyintas erupsi Gunung Merapi di Kecamatan Cangkringan, DIY Yogyakarta. Data diperoleh melalui instrumen Connor Davidson-Resilience Scale 10 (CD-RISC 10) dalam mengukur resiliensi, Multiple Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) dalam mengukur perceived social support, dan instrumen Post-Traumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI) dalam mengukur posttraumatic growth. Ketiga instrumen penelitian telah diuji serta memenuhi kriteria validitas dan reliabilitas item berdasarkan pemodelan Rasch. Dengan menggunakan teknik Moderating Regression Analysis (MRA) diketahui jika interaksi antara resiliensi dan perceived social support memberikan kontribusi sebesar 21,6% dalam mempengaruhi skor posttraumatic growth. Namun, perceived social support yang berperan sebagai variabel moderator dalam penelitian ini memberikan efek moderasi yang negatif, dimana peningkatan skor resiliensi diikuti oleh menurunnya skor perceived social support. Dengan kata lain, dalam penelitian ini perceived social support memperlemah pengaruh resiliensi terhadap posttraumatic growth. ;---In addition to negative effects, natural disaster as a traumatic event also can encourage the survivors development that leads to positive change, this is known as posttraumatic growth. A number of studies have suggested that these changes are influenced by some psychological constructs, including resilience and perceived social support. The purpose of this study is to determine the moderating effect of perceived social support on the effect of resilience to posttraumatic growth. The participants of this study were 82 survivors of Mt. Merapi volcanic eruption in 2010 who were living in temporary houses. Post-Traumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI), Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC 10), and Multiple Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) were used to measure the defined characteristics. According to requirements of validity and reliability, these instruments had been tested based on Rasch Modeling. The analysis technique used is Moderating Regression Analysis (MRA). The result showed that interaction between resilience and perceived social support contributes 21.6% to predict posttraumatic growth score. However, perceived social support provide a negative moderating effects, by means increasing the score of resilience followed by decreasing score of perceived social support. In other words, perceived social support weakens the relationship between resilience and posttraumatic growth

Posttraumatic reactions among firefighters after critical incidents: cross-national data

The presence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and posttraumatic growth (PTG) following a critical incident were examined among firefighters from eight predominantly European countries. A sample of 1916 firefighters completed the Impact of Event Scale–Revised (IES–R) and the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory–Short Form (PTGI–SF) with reference to a critical incident they had experienced. Analyses indicated both negative and positive posttraumatic outcomes could derive from experiencing critical incidents in the line of duty. The analyses also showed country differences exist regarding firefighters’ PTSD symptoms and PTG. It is recommended that future researchers examine factors that could evoke such national differences

Rumination, event centrality, and perceived control as predictors of post-traumatic growth and distress: The Cognitive Growth and Stress model

Objectives: The Cognitive Growth and Stress (CGAS) model draws together cognitive processing factors previously untested in a single model. Intrusive rumination, deliberate rumination, present and future perceptions of control and event centrality were assessed as predictors of posttraumatic growth and posttraumatic stress. Method: The CGAS model is tested on a sample of survivors (N = 250) of a diverse range of adverse events using structural equation modelling techniques. Results: Overall, the best fitting model was supportive of the theorised relations between cognitive constructs, and accounted for 30% of the variance in posttraumatic growth and 68% of the variance in posttraumatic stress across the sample. Conclusions: Rumination, centrality and perceived control factors are significant determinants of positive and negative psychological change across the wide spectrum of adversarial events. In its first phase of development, the CGAS model also provides further evidence of the distinct processes of growth and distress following adversity

Prosocial Behavior and Posttraumatic Growth After Trauma

The purpose of this study was to examine prosocial behaviors of individuals who have or have not experienced individual traumas, and to assess whether experiencing multiple types of trauma will be related to prosocial behavior and posttraumatic growth. There were 118 undergraduate students who responded to an online survey comprised of three established measures. Participants indicated the nature of traumatic events through a checklist, with prosocial behavior and posttraumatic growth assessed through self-report questionnaires. There was no difference between those who experienced trauma and those who had not experienced trauma in their tendencies toward prosocial behavior. However, individuals who had experienced at least one traumatic event and who reported strong tendencies toward prosocial behavior did report higher levels of posttraumatic growth than those who reported weaker tendencies toward prosocial behavior. Although experiencing one or more than one type of traumatic event had no significant relationship with prosocial behavior, participants who experienced one type of traumatic event reported lower levels of posttraumatic growth than those who experienced more than one type of trauma. The potential for prosocial behavior to be linked more with posttraumatic growth than to traumatic experiences is discussed

Vicarious traumatic exposure among New Zealand health professionals : An exploration of coping strategies and vicarious posttraumatic growth : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the degree of Doctor of Clinical Psychology at Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand

The negative effects of working with trauma survivors have been well documented. This thesis provides an exploration of the less researched positive psychological effects of such work, termed vicarious posttraumatic growth (VPTG). Specifically, the research aimed to investigate New Zealand health professionals’ use of coping strategies (social support, self-care, and humour) following vicarious traumatic exposure, how these coping strategies influenced the psychological outcome of vicarious traumatic exposure, and how VPTG related to secondary traumatic stress (STS). It was also of interest whether all types of health professionals coped with, and psychologically reacted to, vicarious traumatic exposure in the same way, or if there were differences between professions. A total of 365 health professionals participated in the current research by completing a quantitative online survey. The final sample consisted of 103 social workers, 76 nurses, 72 counsellors, 70 psychologists, and 44 medical doctors. Humour, self-care, and peer social support were found to be positive predictors of VPTG, while self-care and social support from family and friends were negative predictors of STS. In addition, peer support was found to be a partial mediator of the relationship between vicarious traumatic exposure and STS. Social workers were found to have the highest levels of STS and VPTG, while psychologists were found to have the lowest levels. Regarding coping, generally psychologists and counsellors were found to engage in the highest levels of coping strategies, while nurses and doctors reported the lowest levels. However, the opposite pattern was found for peer support; nurses reported a significantly higher level of peer support than psychologists. Finally, a curvilinear relationship was found between STS and VPTG; moderate levels of STS were associated with the highest levels of VPTG. However, this was only the case among psychologists; among all other professions STS did not correlate with or predict VPTG. Implications of these results are discussed. Investigation into the relationship between humour and VPTG, exploration of coping strategies as mediators, and the systematic investigation of differences between different types of health professionals represent current gaps in the literature. In addition, exploration of the relationship between VPTG and STS represents an under-researched area with mixed results. Therefore, the current research is an important contribution to the current body of literature. It is envisaged that conclusions drawn from this research will have beneficial implications for health care professionals and the organisations they work within

The relationship between posttraumatic stress and posttraumatic growth among adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer patients

ObjectiveTheories of posttraumatic growth suggest that some degree of distress is necessary to stimulate growth; yet, investigations of the relationship between stress and growth following trauma are mixed. This study aims to understand the relationship between posttraumatic stress symptoms and posttraumatic growth in adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer patients.Method165 AYA patients aged 14–39 years at diagnosis completed standardized measures of posttraumatic stress and posttraumatic growth at 12 months following diagnosis. Locally weighted scatterplot smoothing and regression were used to examine linear and curvilinear relationships between posttraumatic stress and posttraumatic growth.ResultsNo significant relationships between overall posttraumatic stress severity and posttraumatic growth were observed at 12‐month follow‐up. However, curvilinear relationships between re‐experiencing (a posttraumatic stress symptom) and two of five posttraumatic growth indicators (New Possibilities, Personal Strengths) were observed.ConclusionFindings suggest that re‐experiencing is associated with some aspects of posttraumatic growth but not others. Although re‐experiencing is considered a symptom of posttraumatic stress disorder, it also may represent a cognitive process necessary to achieve personal growth for AYAs. Findings call into question the supposed psychopathological nature of re‐experiencing and suggest that re‐experiencing, as a cognitive process, may be psychologically adaptive. Opportunities to engage family, friends, cancer survivors, or health care professionals in frank discussions about fears, worries, or concerns may help AYAs re‐experience cancer in a way that enhances their understanding of what happened to them and contributes to positive adaptation to life after cancer. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/110582/1/pon3585.pd

Post-traumatic stress symptoms in 223 childhood cancer survivors: incidence, severity and predictive risk factors

With modern therapies and supportive care, survival rates of childhood cancer have increased considerably. However, there are long-term psychological sequelae of these treatments that may not manifest until pediatric survivors are into adulthood. The prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder in young adult survivors of childhood cancer ranges from 6.2 to 22%; associated risk factors are young age at the assessment, female gender, low education level, and some disease-related factors. The aim of this study was to investigate, in adolescent and young adult (AYA) survivors of childhood cancer, the incidence and severity of post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSSs), and to identify the risk factors and the associated post-traumatic growth (PTG) index. Participants were 223 AYA cancer survivors recruited during follow-up visits in the Oncohematology Clinic of the Department of Child and Woman\u2019s Health, University of Padua. Data were collected from self-report questionnaires on PTSS incidence, PTG mean score, perceived social support, and medical and socio-demographic factors. Ex-patients\u2019 mean age at the assessment was 19.33 years (SD = 3.01, 15\u201325), 123 males and 100 females, with a mean of years off-therapy of 9.64 (SD = 4.17). Most (52.5%) had survived an hematological disorder and 47.5% a solid tumor when they were aged, on average, 8.02 years (SD = 4.40). The main results indicated a moderate presence of clinical ( 659 symptoms: 9.4%) and sub-clinical PTSS (6\u20138 symptoms: 11.2%), with the avoidance criterion most often encountered. Re-experience symptoms and PTG mean score were significantly associated (r = 0.24; p = 0.0001). A hierarchical regression model (R2 = 0.08; F = 1.46; p = 0.05) identified female gender (\u3b2 = 0.16; p = 0.05) and less perceived social support (\u3b2 = -0.43; p = 0.05) as risk factors to developing PTSS. Another hierarchical regression model assessed the possible predictors of the PTG total score (R2 = 0.36; F = 9.1; p = 0.0001), with female gender (\u3b2 = 0.13; p = 0.04), actual age (\u3b2 = 0.52; p = 0.0001), younger age at the diagnosis (\u3b2 = -0.3; p = 0.02), and less years off-therapy (\u3b2 = -0.58; p = 0.0001) impacting on PTG