Predicting Posttraumatic Growth in Veterans: The Role of Coping Mechanisms and Personality
No Thumbnail Available
View/Download File
Persistent link to this item
Statistics
View StatisticsJournal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Title
Predicting Posttraumatic Growth in Veterans: The Role of Coping Mechanisms and Personality
Published Date
2017
Publisher
Type
Presentation
Abstract
It is already widely established that there are negative psychological effects following a traumatic event, such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, there is some indication that individuals may experience posttraumatic growth (PTG) following such events. This study explores factors including coping mechanisms, PTSD symptom severity, and personality characteristics to better understand the process that facilitates growth following a trauma. The sample included 271 veterans who completed surveys measuring PTSD symptoms, trauma exposure, personality traits, and posttraumatic growth. Results showed that adaptive coping mechanisms were predictive of posttraumatic growth, and an inverted-U shaped relationship was found to best explain the relationship between PTSD symptoms and PTG. Among veterans with PTSD, those who experienced growth following trauma exposure scored higher on extraversion, agreeableness, openness, and lower on neuroticism and pessimism. In addition, all five subscales of the posttraumatic growth inventory were significantly correlated with adaptive coping mechanisms. As cognitive coping mechanisms have been suggested to be changeable, these findings have potential implications for clinical intervention.
Keywords
Description
Related to
Replaces
License
Collections
Series/Report Number
Funding information
Isbn identifier
Doi identifier
Previously Published Citation
Suggested citation
Mattson, Elsa; Johnson, Rachel; James, Lisa; Engdahl, Brian. (2017). Predicting Posttraumatic Growth in Veterans: The Role of Coping Mechanisms and Personality. Retrieved from the University Digital Conservancy, https://hdl.handle.net/11299/187699.
Content distributed via the University Digital Conservancy may be subject to additional license and use restrictions applied by the depositor. By using these files, users agree to the Terms of Use. Materials in the UDC may contain content that is disturbing and/or harmful. For more information, please see our statement on harmful content in digital repositories.