Posttraumatic growth and its relationship to depressive symptomatology in veterans with PTSD.

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship of posttraumatic growth (PTG) on symptoms of depression. Previous research has demonstrated a curvilinear relationship between PTG and stress response. It was hypothesized that there would be a curvilinear relationship between domains of PTG on symptoms of depression. A sample of 269 veterans being treated for PTSD was used for this study. All subjects were administered the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI), and Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) as part of the patient's treatment in a residential trauma-focused treatment program for Veterans. Unlike previous studies that have found either curvilinear or no relationship between PTG and depression, the results of this study revealed a negative linear relationship between BDI-II and PTGI domain scores. A quadratic relationship was also explored and did not provide a better explanation for the data. The findings suggest that there was a negative linear relationship between depression symptoms and self-reported PTG. Higher scores on the BDI-II were related to lower PTGI scores. One possibility for the linear relationship findings compared with the previous studies is the use of a larger clinical sample with a greater range of depressive symptomatology and of reported growth in this study. Another factor is the measurements were obtained right after residential treatment. Recent treatment may have accentuated the relationship of depression to growth.

Post-traumatic growth in the military: a systematic review

“…This mirrors the strong psychometric qualities of the PTGI. For example, confirmatory factor analysis on the items of the PTGI-SF replicates the five-factor structure supported by the PTGI46. The short form also reproduces relationships between PTG and variables of interest among various trauma-afflicted samples49 and produces a total scale internal consistency coefficient of 0.89 49.…”

An exploration of posttraumatic growth, loneliness, depression, resilience, and social capital among survivors of Hurricane Katrina and the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

“…Although scholars view PTG as positive changes that occur in various domains, including self and interpersonal relationships, empirical research that examined the association of PTG with depression has shown inconsistent findings. Several studies reported a negative relationship between PTG and depression (Magruder, Kılıç, & Koryürek, ; Palmer, Graca, & Occhietti, ), which means that those with higher PTG had lower depressive symptoms. Other studies demonstrated no significant relationships between PTG and depression (Cobb, Tedeschi, Calhoun, & Cann, ; Sattler et al., ).…”

Medical Trauma: Assessing Trauma and Growth Following an HIV Diagnosis

“…Through such an approach, client and counselor have an opportunity to focus on the client's transformation, and their ability to thrive and grow through hardship (Serlin & Cannon, 2004). Research (e.g., Milam, 2006;Palmer et al, 2016) has consistently supported the notion that clients experiencing PTG also experience increased health benefits. Such benefits include decreased depression, less substance use, fewer hospitalizations, and greater medication adherence.…”

“…An individual's ability to find benefits from illness, as seen in PTG, has been correlated with greater social support (Zeligman, Barden, & Hagedorn, 2016). Outside of chronic illness, linear relationships also seem to be present between PTG and depression, suggesting depression may serve as a barrier to growth (Magruder, Kiliç, & Koryürek, 2015;Palmer, Graca, & Occhietti, 2016). Individuals with strong social support networks, including those living with chronic illness, consistently score higher on measures of PTG (e.g., McDonough et al, 2014).…”