Objective
Post‐traumatic growth typically refers to enduring positive psychological change experienced as a result of adversity, trauma, or highly challenging life circumstances. Critics have ...challenged insights from much of the prior research on this topic, pinpointing its significant methodological limitations. In response to these critiques, we propose that post‐traumatic growth can be more accurately captured in terms of personality change—an approach that affords a more rigorous examination of the phenomenon.
Method
We outline a set of conceptual and methodological questions and considerations for future work on the topic of post‐traumatic growth.
Results
We provide a series of recommendations for researchers from across the disciplines of clinical/counseling, developmental, health, personality, and social psychology and beyond, who are interested in improving the quality of research examining resilience and growth in the context of adversity.
Conclusion
We are hopeful that these recommendations will pave the way for a more accurate understanding of the ubiquity, durability, and causal processes underlying post‐traumatic growth.
The literature on resilience and posttraumatic growth has been instrumental in highlighting the human capacity to overcome adversity by illuminating that there are different pathways individuals may ...follow. Although the theme of strength from adversity is attractive and central to many disciplines and certain cultural narratives, this claim lacks robust empirical evidence. Specific issues include methodological approaches of using growth-mixture modeling in resilience research and retrospective assessments of growth. Conceptually, limitations exist in the examination of which outcomes are most appropriate for studying resilience and growth. We discuss new research intended to overcome these limitations, with a focus on prospective longitudinal designs and the value of integrating these disciplines for furthering our understanding of the human capacity to overcome adversity.
Introduction
Nurses, assuming a wide range of clinical and patient care responsibilities in a healthcare team, are highly susceptible to direct and indirect exposure to traumatic experiences. ...However, literature has shown that nurses with certain traits developed a new sense of personal strength in the face of adversity, known as post‐traumatic growth (PTG). This review aimed to synthesize the best available evidence to evaluate personal and work‐related factors associated with PTG among nurses.
Design
Mixed studies systematic review.
Methods
Studies examining factors influencing PTG on certified nurses from all healthcare facilities were included. Published and unpublished studies were identified by searching 12 databases from their inception until 4th February 2023. Two reviewers independently screened, appraised, piloted a data collection form, and extracted relevant data. Meta‐summary, meta‐synthesis, meta‐analysis, as well as subgroup and sensitivity analyses were performed. Integration of results followed result‐based convergent design.
Results
A total of 98 studies with 29,706 nurses from 18 countries were included. These included 49 quantitative, 42 qualitative, and seven mixed‐methods studies. Forty‐six influencing factors were meta‐analyzed, whereas nine facilitating factors were meta‐summarized. A PTG conceptual map was created. Four constructs emerged from the integration synthesis: (a) personal system, (b) work‐related system, (c) event‐related factors, and (d) cognitive transformation.
Conclusion
The review findings highlighted areas healthcare organizations could do to facilitate PTG in nurses. Practical implications include developing intervention programs based on PTG facilitators. Further research should examine the trend of PTG and its dynamic response to different nursing factors.
Clinical Relevance
Research on trauma‐focused therapies targeting nurses' mental health is lacking. Therefore, findings from this review could inform healthcare organizations on the PTG phenomenon and developing support measures for nurses through healthcare policies and clinical practice.
Objective
Research on the relationship between post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)/post‐traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and post‐traumatic growth (PTG) in cancer patients and survivors is ...increasing.
Methods
We conducted a systematic review and meta‐analysis of 51 studies that assessed the relationship between PTSD/PTSS and PTG, in cancer patients/survivors. Five databases were searched through 29 April 2019. The purpose of this manuscript is to report a summary of this literature, the aggregate effect size of the relationship between PTSD and PTG, and the examination of potential moderators that may impact the relationship between PTSD and PTG.
Results
The aggregate weighted effect size for the association between PTSD/PTSS and PTG was small, r = .08, but significantly different from zero. We examined whether time since diagnosis, stage of cancer, type of measure used to assess PTSD/PTSS, or type of measure used to assess PTG explained the significant heterogeneity among the individual effect sizes. The relationship was significantly stronger for the small subset of studies that included only stage 4 patients compared with those that included only non–stage 4 patients. Additionally, the strongest relationship was for those studies that used the Impact of Events Scale‐Revised to assess PTSD.
Conclusions
The relationship between PTSD/PTSD and PTG is modestly positive and robust. There is evidence that the threat of advanced cancer is more strongly associated with growth, but none supporting that more time since cancer diagnosis allows survivors the opportunity to positively reinterpret and find meaning in the traumatic aspects of the disease resulting in more growth.
Research Summary
Despite an extensive upper echelons literature on how CEOs' prior experiences influence firm behavior, we know little about the influence of traumatic experiences early in CEOs' ...lives. Drawing on post‐traumatic growth theory, we describe how traumatic experiences early in CEOs' lives influence corporate social performance. Our theory points to the asymmetric impact of CEO early‐life trauma on responsible and irresponsible corporate social performance and to two boundary conditions: CEO age at the time of the traumatic event and the severity of the event. We develop and test our arguments in the context of large‐scale disasters experienced early in the CEO's life. Our findings advance strategic management research on the relationship between CEO experiences and firm outcomes.
Managerial Summary
We consider how traumatic experiences in childhood shape CEO cognition and values and, therefore, firm behavior. Our findings suggest that CEOs who have had to deal with traumatic early‐life events may gain psychological strength from such experiences and that their psychological growth informs firm conduct. Specifically, our findings indicate that experience of trauma early in the CEO's life is positively associated with corporate social performance. The implication is that boards aspiring to enhance this aspect of corporate performance may wish to consider the early‐life experiences of prospective CEOs. While early‐life experiences are unlikely to feature on a prospective CEO's résumé, the typical selection process for senior executive appointments is well placed to unearth executives' life histories.
The TAPS Suicide Postvention Model
TM
is a three-phase approach to suicide grief that offers a framework for survivors and providers in the aftermath of a suicide. This framework proposes guidance on ...how to build a foundation for an adaptive grief journey and creates a research-informed, proactive, intentional pathway to posttraumatic growth. The Model follows the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors' peer-based model of care and has supported more than 16,000 military suicide loss survivors over the past decade. The Model is applicable to anyone grieving a suicide loss or coping with any associated trauma.
People can experience posttraumatic growth (PTG) when faced with potentially traumatic events. One of the most widely-used instruments to measure PTG is the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory-Short Form ...(PTGI-SF). However, it has not been validated for the Spanish population. This study explored the psychometric properties of the PTGI-SF in adults living in Spain during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since it is a global disaster, two items were added to assess communal PTG. The participants were adult inhabitants of Spain during the COVID-19 pandemic (
N
= 855). They completed the PTGI-SF in July 2020, along with the Impact of Event Scale – Revised to measure symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). They also rated the degree to which they perceived the COVID-19 crisis as being severe. In November 2020, 592 participants once again completed the PTGI-SF. The factorial validity o was tested by Structural Equations Modeling (SEM). McDonald’s ω coefficients were calculated to test internal consistency. The Intra-class Correlation Coefficient (ICC) was obtained to assess test–retest reliability. Sensitivity and criterion-related validity were assessed by exploring the association of the PTGI-SF scores with gender, age, PTSD symptoms, and perceived severity. Results indicated good psychometric properties for an eight-item, four-factor structure of the inventory in terms of structural validity, reliability, sensitivity and criterion-related validity. These factors were: Relating to Others, Personal Strength, Spiritual Change, and Life Value and Opportunities. Communal PTG overlapped with social PTG, and therefore it was not included. Cultural differences need to be addressed when measuring PTG, especially in terms of spiritual growth.
Traditional research on post‐traumatic growth has utilized methodologically flawed cross‐sectional designs that involve retrospective assessments of post‐traumatic growth. This has resulted in a ...majority of research in this field suffering from a lack of credibility and reliability. In this special issue, we present nine articles that seek to make innovative conceptual and methodological contributions with the goal of promoting better research practices on post‐traumatic growth. In the introduction to this special issue, we provide an overview of these contributions, and discuss the implications of these articles both to improving future scholarship and to encouraging personality scientists to examine this important phenomenon in the years and decades to come.
A large‐scale survey study was conducted to assess trauma, burnout, posttraumatic growth, and associated factors for nurses in the COVID‐19 pandemic. The Trauma Screening Questionnaire, Maslach ...Burnout Inventory, and Posttraumatic Growth Inventory‐Short Form were utilized. Factors associated with trauma, burnout, and posttraumatic growth were analysed using logistic and multiple regressions. In total, 12 596 completed the survey, and 52.3% worked in COVID‐19 designated hospitals. At the survey’s conclusion in April, 13.3% reported trauma (Trauma ≥ 6), there were moderate degrees of emotional exhaustion, and 4,949 (39.3%) experienced posttraumatic growth. Traumatic response and emotional exhaustion were greater among (i) women (odds ratio OR: 1.48, 95% CI 1.12–1.97 P = 0.006; emotional exhaustion OR: 1.30, 95% CI 1.09–1.54, P = 0.003), (ii) critical care units (OR: 1.20, 95% CI 1.06–1.35, P = 0.004; emotional exhaustion OR: 1.23, 95% CI 1.12–1.33, P < 0.001) (iii) COVID‐19 designated hospital (OR: 1.24, 95% CI 1.11–1.38; P < 0.001; emotional exhaustion OR: 1.26, 95% CI 1.17–1.36; P < 0.001) and (iv) COVID‐19‐related departments (OR: 1.16, 95% CI 1.04–1.29, P = 0.006, emotional exhaustion only). To date, this is the first large‐scale study to report the rates of trauma and burnout for nurses during the COVID‐19 pandemic. The study indicates that nurses who identified as women, working in ICUs, COVID‐19 designated hospitals, and departments involved with treating COVID‐19 patients had higher scores in mental health outcomes. Future research can focus on the factors the study has identified that could lead to more effective prevention and treatment strategies for adverse health outcomes and better use of resources to promote positive outcomes.
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