The role of trauma, psychological therapy, and trauma appraisals in predicting posttraumatic growth

This study examined the relationship between posttraumatic stress and posttraumatic growth (PTG), as well as the role of wider trauma-related factors, demographic characteristics, and trauma appraisals in the development of PTG. This cross-sectional study used a quantitative survey methodology. An opportunity sample of 85 trauma-exposed adults (56 male and 28 female) with a mean age of 48.26 years was recruited from psychological support services in Northern Ireland. Participants had experienced an average of 4.11 traumatizing events in their lifetime. Hierarchical multiple regression modeling demonstrated that the number of psychological therapy sessions attended (β =.33, p =.009) and betrayalbased trauma appraisals (β =.47, p =.001) were positive predictors of PTG. Shame-based appraisals negatively predicted PTG (β = -.42, p =.020). In the final model, posttraumatic stress, trauma-related factors, age, gender, and appraisals of fear, anger, alienation, and self-blame were nonsignificant predictors. In this study, factors amenable to clinical change, such as the number of psychological therapy sessions attended and appraisals of betrayal and shame, were more influential in PTG than individual’s posttraumatic stress, demographic characteristics, and trauma typology.