This master thesis follows up the topic of posttraumatic growth of paramedics. The first part clarifies the concept of posttraumatic growth and factors which influence the process of growth that is following the trauma. The most substantial models of posttraumatic growth are also included. A paramedic as a profession is described, too. In this part, requirements for paramedics and possible intervences often used to handle with the stressful event. The empiric part deals with the relationship between posttraumatic growth and coping strategies among paramedics. A use of positive coping strategies is a possible way how to reach a higher level of post traumatic growth. The questionnaires PTGI and SVF 78 are used in the research to detect the level of posttraumatic growth achieved and the coping strategy that is used by the participants. The questionnaire PTGI detects the change in five areas: relationships with other people, stregths, new opportunities, change in spiritual areas and understanding of life. The research shows positive corelation between the level of posttraumatic growth and following coping strategies: control of situation, control of reactions and positive self- instruction. It was also found that women reach significantly better in the subscales relationships with other people and...

About 4 % women in general population and up to 19 % women in at-risk population suffer from PTSD related to childbirth. The main risk factors for postpartum PTSD are negative birth experience and obstetric emergencies. However, the findings about risk factors and prevalence rates vary across studies, which is mainly due to the inconsistency in the diagnostics of postpartum PTSD. Researchers use various PTSD measures that differ in the number and type of symptoms monitored and many of these measures do not cover all DSM criteria for PTSD. Furthermore, the PTSD diagnostic criteria have been significantly modified in the new DSM-5 and the existing instruments need to be revised. The first part of the thesis presents the concept of PTSD related to childbirth. Special attention is paid to the risk factors identified in previous research and to the analysis of PTSD diagnostic and screening measures used in the postpartum context. The aim of the second part of the thesis is to evaluate the psychometric properties of the unpublished Childbirth-Related PTSD Questionnaire on a sample of 620 Czech women. The factor validity of the scale, the internal consistency of the total scale and the subscales resulting from the factor analysis; and the criterion validity of the instrument are verified. With regard to...

College students have an increased risk for cannabis use, trauma exposure, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Cannabis use disorder (CUD) and PTSD comorbidity is high, and given the negative consequences of the comorbidity (e.g., poor academic outcomes), there is a need to understand comorbid CUD-PTSD etiology. Two primary etiologic models exist: self-medication (i.e., PTSD à CUD) and high-risk (i.e., CUD à PTSD) hypotheses. This study 1) examined the prevalence and predictors of cannabis use and interpersonal trauma (IPT) exposure; 2) investigated the relationship between cannabis use and IPT; and 3) examined cannabis use, IPT, and PTSD through mediational self-medication and high-risk hypotheses lenses in a large (n = 9,889) longitudinal study of college students. Aim 1 found the prevalence of lifetime problematic (i.e., use ≥ 6 times) and experimental (i.e., use 1-5 times) cannabis use was 28.3% and 17.4%, respectively. Aim 1 results also estimated that the prevalence of lifetime IPT exposure was 35.9%. Aim 2 results supported the self-medication hypothesis, but not the high-risk hypothesis. Overall model fit from Aim 3 was poor. Nonetheless, Aim 3 results did not support the self-medication or high-risk hypotheses. Given the poor model fit of Aim 3, results should be interpreted with caution. However, as a whole, these findings provide preliminary support for the self-medication hypothesis, indicating that those reporting IPT exposure and probable PTSD may be at risk for cannabis use. Implications of these findings, in light of study limitations, are discussed.

This thesis examines the social context of stillbirth and its impact on women's life and on their relationships with their family members. The study sample includes 8 adult women from Israel. Israel is a country characterized by a high number of children in families and the centrality of religion in society. The methodology used in this study was semi-structured interviews. Our results were similar to those of previous studies in terms of the partner's attitude to the event. On the other hand, the results included novel findings regarding other family members' coping with the stillbirth event. Solidarity and other types of empathy were found to be relevant according to women's stories; whereas some filial norms were met with more ambivalent responses. This thesis demonstrates the importance of intergenerational solidarity, the mass influence of cultural context and ambivalence within everyday situations and the meaning of empathy from close family members. Particular attention needs to be paid to the intergenerational perspective, which focuses on the family (couple, divorced or single units) or the wider society in which they live. Moreover, the experience of particular social groups further exploration; for instance, single mothers and surrogates.

This study explored the social construction of black male Zimbabwean refugees’ identities as they experienced becoming refugees living in South Africa. A review of refugee literature revealed that Zimbabwean refugees demonstrate an exceptional nature that sets them apart from what most definitions of refugees assume. Refugee theory focusing on deficits and disorder promoted a view of refugees as helpless victims. As a result, refugees have come to be viewed as state burdens. Immigration practices characterized by the herding of refugees into spatially segregated areas, deportation and neglect continue to endanger the livelihoods of refugees. The manner in which government and media conceptualise the identity of a refugee has significant consequences for foreigners and locals. It is therefore important to explore the social construction of black male Zimbabwean refugees’ identities by investigating their own experiences through the telling of life stories. A process of in-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with four black male Zimbabwean refugees between the ages of 18 and 50, all currently living in South Africa. A self told life story outlined a narrative of their past migration, present circumstances and future deliberations. Results showed that participants bore great suffering in search of a stable existence. They were subjected to political abuse and an immense economic downfall in Zimbabwe, and experienced a great shock of self-confidence upon leaving their home. They came to bear a painful sense of ‘otherness’ living as a foreigner, and had to develop new understandings of themselves. Race and religion became important signifiers of identity, and participants were said to undergo a posttraumatic growth in the aftermath of their turbulent experiences. A study such as this offers valuable insights into the aspects of a Zimbabwean refugee’s existence and needs. Research may also inform bureaucratic practices as to conceptualising more appropriate refugee relations in the future, as well as media campaigns capable of rehabilitating the image of the refugee. / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Psychology / unrestricted

In conducting this study, the ultimate goal was to determine whether parents and other caregivers of individuals with disabilities are experiencing higher levels of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms as compared to the general population. Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), intellectual disabilities and other disabilities are more likely to engage in aggressive behaviors such as hitting, kicking, biting, screaming, and self-injurious behavior. Research has also shown that parents of children with special needs have higher levels of stress, and special education teachers are leaving the field due to burnout. In addition to comparing PTSD levels of these caregivers with the general population, results of parents in this sample size were compared with the results of other caregivers. Using the PTSD Checklist – Civilian version (PCL-C), a self-report questionnaire, PTSD total scores, the three subscale scores which included re-experiencing, avoidance/numbing, and hyperarousal were analyzed. In total PCL-C scores and the subscale scores, the respondents’ results were statistically significant, with a mean score of 46.7 as compared to 29 with the general population. In addition, results demonstrated that parents and other caregivers that worked with an individual with a disability who engaged in aggressive behavior had a higher mean score than those who didn’t among this population. When divided into two groups, parents had a higher mean than the other caregivers. Future research can be done on PTSD treatments for this specific population without having to remove them from their environments in order to help reduce burnout and attrition among caregivers of individuals with disabilities.

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The present investigation evaluated whether dispositional use of emotional approach coping partially accounts for the association between parental response to emotional expression and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) in a sample of 252 trauma-exposed individuals drawn from a pool of college students and college-age members of the community at-large. An online survey assessed parental reactions to participants' negative emotions during childhood (i.e., offspring retrospective report), as well as participant trauma history, PTSS, and use of emotional approach coping. Findings complement literature illustrating the long-lasting implications of the parent-child relationship, such that both supportive and unsupportive parenting were related to PTSS. Supportive parental reactions also were related to emotional expression, but not emotional processing, and unsupportive reactions did not significantly relate to either aspect of emotional approach coping. Notably, emotional approach coping strategies were unrelated to PTSS in the full sample, and thus the indirect effects models were not supported. Post hoc analyses indicated preliminary support for the indirect effect of emotional expression on the relation between supportive parenting and PTSS in the local college student sample (n = 117). Limitations and implications for future research are discussed.

No description available.

The #MeToo movement was established as a grassroots initiative in Brooklyn by Tarana Burke, as a way to bring awareness to the commonality of sexual violence towards African American women. Despite the awareness brought by the movement, it was virtually not inclusive of men who have experienced sexual violence. This study intends to provide educators an understanding of this phenomenon, as well as provide practitioners, scholars, and organizations supporting gay male rape survivors a qualitative perspective beneficial to enhance support systems in order to foster post-traumatic growth. This study answered questions of how participants described their experience of having been raped; how learning revealed itself during the participants’ journey towards post-traumatic growth; and what factors participants described that helped and/or hindered their ability to manage the experience, learn, and develop towards post-traumatic growth. Six individual in-depth cases are presented; each participating in a two-hour interview. Using Lifelines and Nohl’s (2015) five phase analysis of the unfolding of deep learning over time, this study demonstrated that Transformative Learning revealed itself throughout each of these cases. As described by O’Sullivan et al. (2002), Transformative learning is “[an] experiencing [of] a deep, structural shift in the basic premises of thought, feeling, and actions. It is a shift of consciousness that dramatically and permanently alters our way of being in the world. Such a shift involves our understanding of ourselves and our self-locations; our relationships with other humans and with the natural world; our understanding of relations of power in interlocking structures of class, race, and gender; our body-awareness; our visions of alternative approaches to living; and our sense of the possibilities for social justice and peace and personal joy.” The study provides insight into the various systems and social relationships that help and/or hinder the interviewees’ learning experience, as well as how they managed their lives along the way. Moreover, this study demonstrates that Transformative Learning can take over 20-years, as well as that the process requires recalibration after encountering obstacles as learners journeyed towards post-traumatic growth.