Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms and Post-Traumatic Growth: Evidence from a Longitudinal Study following an Earthquake Disaster

PLoS One. 2015 Jun 5;10(6):e0127241. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0127241. eCollection 2015.

Abstract

Objective: The current longitudinal study aims to examine the bidirectional relationship between post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and post-traumatic growth (PTG).

Method: One hundred twenty-two adults in the most severely affected area were investigated by self-report questionnaires at 12 months and 18 months after the Wenchuan Earthquake occurred in China.

Results: The autoregressive cross-lagged structure equation analysis revealed that PTG at 12 months post-earthquake could negatively predict PTSS at 18 months post-earthquake above and beyond PTSS stability, whereas PTSS at 12 months post-earthquake could not significantly predict subsequent PTG. Moreover, PTG at 12 months post-earthquake could predict fewer subsequent intrusions, numbing and hyper-arousal symptoms but not avoidance symptoms.

Conclusion: Growth can play a role in reducing long-term post-traumatic stress symptoms, and the implication of a positive perspective in post-trauma circumstance is discussed.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adaptation, Psychological
  • Adult
  • Earthquakes*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Male
  • Severity of Illness Index
  • Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / pathology*
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Survivors / psychology

Grants and funding

The study was supported by "Key Projects of Humanities and Social Sciences Key Research Base, Ministry of Education, China". The grant number is No. 11JD190006 (http://www.sinoss.net/). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.