The purpose of this paper is define posttraumatic growth (PTG) – “a positive change experienced as a result of a struggle with trauma” and its relationship to posttraumatic stress disorder through an overview of the literature, including assessment measures and the reaction that children and adolescents have to trauma and disaster. Research on posttraumatic growth has typically been centered on adults but recently has extended to children and adolescents.
Keywords: Adolescents, children, posttraumatic growth, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), resilience, trauma
Introduction
Teenagers who have lived through events such as sexual or physical abuse, floods, school shootings, car crashes, fires, terrorist attacks, or neighborhood violence …show more content…
These benefits are outlined in the literature as changes in perception of self, relationships with others, and philosophy of life. The Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI) allows investigators to analyze the personalities, coping styles, and other processes related to the tendency to respond to traumas in a positive fashion. The measure includes 34 items scored on a 6-point Likert scale with responses ranging from “I did not experience this as a result of my crisis” (score of 0) to “I experienced this change to a very great degree as a result of my crisis”. The measure analyzes five factors, (1) Relating to Others; (2) New Possibilities; (3) Personal Strength; (4) Spiritual Change; and (5) Appreciation of …show more content…
(2014) examined 194 patients ages 13-19 identified with PTSD; the majority of the participants had experienced either extrafamilial or intrafamilial sexual abuse. The authors hypothesized that the treatment of victims of sexual trauma would be the most successful as victims of sexual abuse often have the most severe and long-term consequences. In the initial assessment, PTSD symptoms were present and most patients exhibited internalizing and externalizing behaviors. At follow-up, there was a decrease in PTSD symptoms and a development of PTG was identified. Most patients identified some PTG but the mean was lower than compared to previous studies (Kilmer, 2009). The long follow up interval may attribute to the difference as some studies have shown negative associations between PTG and the time of trauma (Myerson, et al.,
Keywords: Adolescents, children, posttraumatic growth, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), resilience, trauma
Introduction
Teenagers who have lived through events such as sexual or physical abuse, floods, school shootings, car crashes, fires, terrorist attacks, or neighborhood violence …show more content…
These benefits are outlined in the literature as changes in perception of self, relationships with others, and philosophy of life. The Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI) allows investigators to analyze the personalities, coping styles, and other processes related to the tendency to respond to traumas in a positive fashion. The measure includes 34 items scored on a 6-point Likert scale with responses ranging from “I did not experience this as a result of my crisis” (score of 0) to “I experienced this change to a very great degree as a result of my crisis”. The measure analyzes five factors, (1) Relating to Others; (2) New Possibilities; (3) Personal Strength; (4) Spiritual Change; and (5) Appreciation of …show more content…
(2014) examined 194 patients ages 13-19 identified with PTSD; the majority of the participants had experienced either extrafamilial or intrafamilial sexual abuse. The authors hypothesized that the treatment of victims of sexual trauma would be the most successful as victims of sexual abuse often have the most severe and long-term consequences. In the initial assessment, PTSD symptoms were present and most patients exhibited internalizing and externalizing behaviors. At follow-up, there was a decrease in PTSD symptoms and a development of PTG was identified. Most patients identified some PTG but the mean was lower than compared to previous studies (Kilmer, 2009). The long follow up interval may attribute to the difference as some studies have shown negative associations between PTG and the time of trauma (Myerson, et al.,