Post Traumatic Growth & Resilience Flashcards
Q1: What is posttraumatic growth (PTG
PTG refers to positive psychological changes that occur as a result of struggling with highly challenging life circumstances or trauma.
Q2: What are the five domains of posttraumatic growth?
Personal Strength
Appreciation of Life
Relationships
Changed Priorities
Existential/Spiritual Growth
Q3: How does resilience differ from PTG?
Resilience: The ability to adapt and recover quickly from adversity, maintaining baseline functioning.
PTG: Involves profound psychological growth and change beyond pre-trauma levels, often requiring deliberate reflection and meaning-making.
Q4: What are predictors of PTG according to research?
Severity of trauma.
Core belief disruption.
Deliberate rumination.
Social support and disclosure.
Q5: How does culture influence PTG?
Collectivist cultures emphasize communal growth, while individualist cultures focus on personal strength.
Expression of PTG varies; for example, East Asian cultures may emphasize harmony and somatic expressions, while South American cultures highlight emotional sharing.
Q6: What is salutogenesis, and how does it relate to PTG?
A6: Salutogenesis focuses on the origins of health and well-being rather than disease, aligning with PTG’s strength-based perspective that incorporates meaning-making and resilience.
Q7: What are the roles of intrusive and deliberate rumination in PTG?
Intrusive Rumination: Repetitive, unwanted thoughts about the trauma, which disrupt core beliefs.
Deliberate Rumination: Purposeful reflection on the trauma, promoting meaning-making and growth.
Q8: What is the relationship between PTG and distress?
PTG does not preclude ongoing distress. Both can coexist, as growth arises from engaging with and processing traumatic experiences.
Q9: How does connectedness impact resilience and PTG?
Feeling valued, respected, and supported within an organization or community buffers against depression and promotes resilience and PTG.
Q10: What factors negatively predict PTG?
Lack of helpful disclosure.
Absence of core belief disruption.
Minimal deliberate reflection or rumination on trauma.
Q11: What are the key elements of resilience as defined by researchers?
The capacity to adapt successfully to disturbances that threaten development or functioning (Masten, 2014).
A relatively brief period of disequilibrium followed by continued health (Bonanno, 2004).
A reintegration of self through learning from adverse experiences (Yehuda, 2014).
Q12: What is the role of social support in PTG and resilience?
Acts as a protective factor against PTSD.
Promotes well-being and positive psychological adjustment.
Both giving and receiving social support contribute to PTG, especially in collectivist cultures.
Q13: What is the relationship between helpful disclosure and PTG?
Helpful disclosure (sharing experiences with supportive individuals) is a strong predictor of PTG, as it facilitates meaning-making and emotional processing.
Q14: How does PTG manifest in different cultural contexts?
Individualistic cultures: Focus on personal strength and individual accomplishments.
Collectivist cultures: Emphasize communal resilience and group-based growth.
Different cultures may prioritize relational or existential domains of PTG based on shared values.
Q15: What is the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI)?
A validated scale developed by Tedeschi and Calhoun (1996) to measure perceived growth in the five domains of PTG.
Q16: What are some unique predictors of PTG and PTSD?
PTG: Deliberate rumination, trauma severity, and core belief disruption.
PTSD: Intrusive rumination, unhelpful disclosure, and trauma centrality to identity.
Q17: What are some examples of posttraumatic growth in refugees?
Acknowledgment of strength through survival despite suffering.
Shifts in values, such as appreciating inner beauty over external wealth.
Finding hope in new opportunities and rebuilding life.
Q18: How does PTG differ from traditional views of trauma recovery?
Traditional trauma models focus on pathology (e.g., PTSD), while PTG emphasizes the potential for positive psychological change and strength arising from adversity.
Q19: What are some common misconceptions about PTG?
PTG is not an automatic outcome of trauma; it requires active engagement.
It does not negate ongoing distress or struggles.
Growth can coexist with enduring psychological challenges.
Q20: What is the relationship between PTG and deliberate rumination?
Deliberate rumination involves purposeful reflection on traumatic experiences, which helps reframe the trauma and facilitates growth through meaning-making.
Q31: How is resilience measured in trauma research?
Resilience is often assessed through psychological recovery rates, adaptation to adversity, and the ability to maintain or regain baseline functioning after trauma.
Q32: What is the role of identity disruption in PTG?
Trauma often disrupts core beliefs about self and the world, creating a space for individuals to re-evaluate their identity and develop a stronger sense of self.
Q33: How does PTG manifest differently in refugees compared to other populations?
Refugees often report PTG as a sense of gratitude for survival, a redefined perspective on life’s challenges, and hope for a brighter future despite ongoing difficulties.
Q34: What does the term “vicarious posttraumatic growth” (VPTG) mean?
VPTG refers to positive changes experienced by individuals, such as therapists or first responders, through their empathic engagement with the trauma and recovery stories of others.
Q35: How does PTG challenge traditional models of trauma recovery?
PTG shifts the focus from solely addressing pathology (e.g., PTSD) to recognizing potential positive outcomes, such as improved relationships, spiritual growth, and life appreciation.
Q36: What role does self-efficacy play in PTG?
Self-efficacy strengthens an individual’s belief in their ability to overcome adversity, contributing to deliberate rumination and positive change following trauma.
Q37: How does PTG intersect with collective trauma in cultures?
In collectivist cultures, PTG often emphasizes shared healing and growth within communities, contrasting with individual growth seen in individualistic cultures.
Q38: What did research reveal about PTG in healthcare and emergency workers?
PTG is higher in these populations when there is strong workplace belongingness, adequate support systems, and opportunities for meaning-making.
Q39: How does PTG relate to long-term physical health?
PTG is associated with improved stress management, which can mitigate chronic health conditions commonly linked to trauma, such as cardiovascular disease.
Q40: What are the long-term societal benefits of fostering PTG?
Societal benefits include increased resilience in communities, reduced mental health treatment costs, and a population better equipped to adapt to adversity and contribute positively.
