Background: Military service can be a traumatic experience, and cause mental health problems in a minority of personnel, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which is linked to negative long-term outcomes. As a result, PTSD has received significant research attention. However, post-traumatic growth (PTG) is a newer construct, with comparatively little known about its presentation and development.Aims: To qualitatively examine the experience of (PTG) in military and ex-military personnel.Methods: A qualitative systematic search of electronic databases was conducted, with studies assessed for methodological quality and data analysed using Thematic Analysis. Nine qualitative studies, carried out between 2011-2016, met the inclusion criteria with 195 participants in totalmilitary and ex-military personnel.Results: Six themes were identified: appreciation for life; re-evaluating sense of purpose; improvement of personal human traits; bonding and connecting with others; integrating into society; and being proud of heritage & valuable to society.Conclusions: The results of this review illustrate that military personnel may experience PTG due to deployment-related trauma exposure, and the presentation of PTG in this population is not dissimilar to that of civilians. This study highlights the need for additional research to quantify the long-term psychological impact of PTG and whether a focus on PTG may be helpful in psychological treatment for (ex-) military personnel.

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