UCCS researchers are studying aftereffects of trauma, and the growth following it, in a new way.
By looking at how posttraumatic growth (PTG) patterns change after experiencing a traumatic event, not just the growth itself, UCCS Ph.D. faculty members Chip Benight and Bernard Ricca, along with University of Utah Ph.D. Associate Professor Pascal Deboeck, dig deeper into the nonlinear relationship between posttraumatic growth and posttraumatic distress (PTD).
The study, “Posttraumatic growth and posttraumatic distress relationship across time: a change dynamics approach,” analyzes data shared by participants through surveys following a traumatic event, in this case California wildfires in 2017 and 2018. Participant parameters included having resided in a disaster-affected neighborhood (within three blocks of damaged or destroyed homes), experienced property damage or known someone who was injured or died due to the disaster.
One of the most significant findings from the study was how crucial the acceleration of growth – how rapidly PTG was speeding up or slowing down – is for recovery, versus the level of growth.
“This study is the first of its kind to look at the dynamic change for posttraumatic growth across time,” said Benight. “All previous research has only looked at posttraumatic growth as if it changes only in a linear way. We tested whether it might be important to think about how fast it is changing and if in fact it might be accelerating how fast the change is occurring. Our results suggest it is important to look at this type of change in how someone is able to gain some benefits (or even lose some sense of benefit) in their life from a major disaster, like improved relationships, or personal strength). The speed of growth and if that speed was accelerating or not was an important predictor of posttraumatic distress.”
Viewing PTG in this dynamic way could make various, inconsistent findings in previous research easier to understand. As noted in the study, “There is limited consensus on the relationship expected between PTG and important posttraumatic outcomes with some studies demonstrating a positive relationship between PTG and posttraumatic distress, some showing no correlation, and others a negative relationship.” By studying how PTG changes, future research could help explain these results and narrow down why these outcomes vary.
Further research is expected from Benight, who is also Executive Director of the Lyda Hill Institute of Human Resilience, on this topic.
“We are now looking at this within a different population of trauma survivors in a new National Science Foundation grant focused on recovering from a major physical trauma,” Benight shared. “These findings have important implications for future intervention development that foster resilience.”