Posttraumatic Growth (PTG), known as antithesis of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) (Tedeschi, Park, &amp / Calhoun, 1998, p.3), has been highlighted in the literature as a positive outcome of the trauma.In the literature, environmental resources (e.g., social and familial support), individual resources (e.g., personality traits, socio-demographic variables), perception of the event (e.g., type of trauma, duration of trauma), cognitive processing (e.g. impact of event, religious participation), and coping (e.g. problem focused coping, emotion focused coping) were found as possible factors on the development of PTG. In the present study, a model to predict PTG in the patients suffering from myocardial infarction (MI / heart attack) and their spouses was tested on the basis of environmental and personal resources, the perception of the event and cognitive processing as latent variables. The model, developed by Schaefer and Moos (1998), was empirically analyzed for the first time with patients suffered from myocardial infarction and their spouses by structural equation model (SEM) using AMOS program. MI patients getting the treatment in various hospitals in the city of Bolu (N=151) and their spouses (N=137) completed the measures in 1.5-2 hours sessions. The analysis of the model with the MI patients&amp / #8217 / data revealed that both environmental resources and individual resources demonstrated indirect effects on PTG via the effect of the perception of the event, cognitive processing and coping. On the other hand, the analysis of the model for the spouses revealed that individual resources demonstrated indirect effects on PTG through the effect of the perception of the event, cognitive processing and coping while environmental resources did not show significant indirect effects on PTG.The findings were discussed in the context of recent theoretical models of PTG, shortcomings of the current study, clinical implications, and suggestions for future research.

The aim of the present study is to investigate the relationship of posttraumatic growth with basic personality traits and locus of control, and the mediator role of coping strategies in these relationships. One hundred and fourteen women with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy/radiotherapy treatment or come to the hospital for their post-operational follow-up appointments were recruited. Seventy two mediation models were performed for posttraumatic growth and its factors as dependent variables. The independent variables were basic personality traits (extraversion, conscientiousness, agreeableness, neuroticism, openness to experience, and negative valence) and locus of control. The mediators were coping strategies that is problem-focused coping, emotion-focused coping, and seeking social support (indirect coping). The results suggested that problem-focused coping was a significant mediator in PTG&mdash / some basic personality traits (extraversion, openness to experience, conscientiousness, agreeableness) and PTG&mdash / external locus of control relationships. Moreover, emotion-focused coping was a significant mediator in the relationship of PTG with some personality traits (conscientiousness, agreeableness, and openness to experience) and external locus of control. Seeking social support did also mediate PTG&mdash / external locus of control relationship. The implications of the findings, and the strengths and limitations of the study were also discussed in the light of the literature.

This study investigated how therapists working with children and youth victims of interpersonal trauma (e.g. sexual abuse) are impacted by the resilience processes of their clients. Qualitative multiple case study design and thematic analysis were used to explore the research question. Four counselors working in an organization providing services to victims of trauma were interviewed and asked about how the act of bearing witness to the resilience of their clients affected their personal lives and clinical practice. The findings showed that for the participants there was an increased sense of hope and optimism, and an intense sense of being inspired by the strengths of clients as result of working with this population. To reflect about the challenges faced by clients allowed counselors to put their own challenges and strengths into perspective. In addition, they reported positive changes in their personal relationships. Further research is suggested, including further investigation about the relationship between optimism, hope and vicarious resilience processes as well as between the counseling approach adopted and the development of vicarious resilience responses. / Graduate / 0621 / 0622 / 0347 / fabianesilveira@gmail.com

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, deteriorative disease, which leads to psychological distress. &lsquo / Conservation of Resources theory (COR)&rsquo / is a relatively recent stress model, developed by Hobfoll (1988, 1989). This resource-oriented theory is based on the assumption that psychological stress is a reaction to a threat of loss of resources, loss of resources and/or lack of resource gain after investment in resources. Religiousness, coping abilities, coping self-efficacy and social support are very important personal resources, which have been found to protect individuals against psychological distress. The aim of the present study was to examine the predictive values of socio-demographic and illness related variables, religiousness, perceived social support, ways of coping, resource loss and arthritis self efficacy for both psychological distress (anxiety and depression) and posttraumatic growth (PTG) of RA patient. In addition, the COR theory was tested for a chronic debilitating illness. Data were collected by administering eight scales to one hundred and seventeen RA patients in the Rheumatology and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinics of Ankara Numune Hospital. As a result of the regression analysis, it was found that being female, fatigue, resource loss, helplessness coping and perceived social support were significant predictors of anxiety. Impact of illness on daily activities, resource loss, problem solving coping and arthritis self-efficacy were significant predictors of depression. Gender, perceived severity of the illness, perceived social support and problem solving coping were significant predictors of PTG. Perceived social support was not related to depression and total psychological distress whereas it was related to anxiety and PTG. Religiousness was not related to psychological distress and PTG. The results of the study were discussed within the relevant literature, shortcomings of the current study, clinical implications and suggestions for future research were proposed.

Crescimento pós-traumático (CPT) refere-se à mudança positiva em algum aspecto da experiência humana como resultado do enfrentamento de situações adversas (traumáticas ou crises de vida em geral). O objetivo geral do presente trabalho foi investigar em uma amostra brasileira as propriedades psicométricas da Versão Brasileira do Inventário de Crescimento Pós-Traumático (Brazilian Version of the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory – PTGI-B), instrumento que se propõe a mensurar CPT. Para isso, dois estudos distintos foram realizados. O Estudo I buscou investigar a estrutural fatorial do PTGI-B. Participaram dele 321 pessoas que passaram por situações adversas variadas. A estrutura fatorial do PTGI-B foi investigada através do método de análise fatorial confirmatória. Testou-se cinco diferentes modelos de estrutura fatorial. A estrutura convencional de cinco fatores apresentou melhores índices de ajuste quando comparada às demais. Além disso, o modelo de cinco fatores de primeira ordem organizados em torno de um fator geral de segunda ordem também mostrou índices de ajuste adequados. O Estudo II buscou avaliar se as evidências de validade externa da Versão Brasileira do Inventário de Crescimento Pós-Traumático (PTGI-B) são mais consistentes quando se compara os resultados de um subgrupo pontuou alto na Escala de Centralidade de Eventos (ECE) versus os resultados do subgrupo que pontuou baixo na ECE - que avalia em que medida o evento de referência contribuiu na formação da identidade dos indivíduos. Participaram do estudo 317 pessoas que passaram por situações adversas variadas. Investigou-se a relação entre crescimento pós-traumático, suporte social, sentido de vida, satisfação com a vida, religiosidade e desajuste psicológico. As correlações entre CPT e as demais variáveis de interesse mostraram-se maiores e mais coerentes no subgrupo que pontuou alto na ECE do que no subgrupo que pontuou baixo. Os resultados obtidos fortalecem a concepção de que apenas eventos que levam a uma reavaliação das crenças centrais dos indivíduos devem ser incluídos nos estudos de CPT. / Posttraumatic growth (PTG) refers to the positive change in some aspect of the human experience as a result of facing adverse situations (traumatic or general life crisis). The main goal of the present study was to investigate the psychometric properties of the Brazilian Version of the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI-B). To address this purpose, two distinct studies were performed. Study I was aimed to investigate the factor structure of the PTGI-B. It involved 321 people who had been through a wide range of adverse situations. The factorial structure of the PTGI was investigated using the method of confirmatory factorial analysis. Five different models of factorial structure were tested. The conventional five factor structure presented better adjustment indices when compared to the others. However, the factorial structure of five first order factors organized around a second order global PTG factor was also adequate. Study II intended to assess whether evidence of the external validity of the Brazilian Version of the Post Traumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI-B) is more consistent when considering the events in which individuals scored high versus individuals who scored low on the Centrality of Events Scale (ECE). The ECE assesses to what extent the reference event contributed to the formation of individuals' identity. A total of 317 people who had been through a variety of adverse events participated in the study. It was investigated the relationship between posttraumatic growth, social support, meaning in life, life satisfaction, religiosity and psychological distress. The correlations between PTGI-B scores and the other variables of interest became larger and more theoretically coherent in the subgroup that scored high in ECE than in the subgroup that scored low. The results obtained strengthen the conception that only events that lead to a reassessment of individuals’ central beliefs should be included in the PTG studies.

Crescimento pós-traumático (CPT) refere-se à mudança positiva em algum aspecto da experiência humana como resultado do enfrentamento de situações adversas (traumáticas ou crises de vida em geral). O objetivo geral do presente trabalho foi investigar em uma amostra brasileira as propriedades psicométricas da Versão Brasileira do Inventário de Crescimento Pós-Traumático (Brazilian Version of the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory – PTGI-B), instrumento que se propõe a mensurar CPT. Para isso, dois estudos distintos foram realizados. O Estudo I buscou investigar a estrutural fatorial do PTGI-B. Participaram dele 321 pessoas que passaram por situações adversas variadas. A estrutura fatorial do PTGI-B foi investigada através do método de análise fatorial confirmatória. Testou-se cinco diferentes modelos de estrutura fatorial. A estrutura convencional de cinco fatores apresentou melhores índices de ajuste quando comparada às demais. Além disso, o modelo de cinco fatores de primeira ordem organizados em torno de um fator geral de segunda ordem também mostrou índices de ajuste adequados. O Estudo II buscou avaliar se as evidências de validade externa da Versão Brasileira do Inventário de Crescimento Pós-Traumático (PTGI-B) são mais consistentes quando se compara os resultados de um subgrupo pontuou alto na Escala de Centralidade de Eventos (ECE) versus os resultados do subgrupo que pontuou baixo na ECE - que avalia em que medida o evento de referência contribuiu na formação da identidade dos indivíduos. Participaram do estudo 317 pessoas que passaram por situações adversas variadas. Investigou-se a relação entre crescimento pós-traumático, suporte social, sentido de vida, satisfação com a vida, religiosidade e desajuste psicológico. As correlações entre CPT e as demais variáveis de interesse mostraram-se maiores e mais coerentes no subgrupo que pontuou alto na ECE do que no subgrupo que pontuou baixo. Os resultados obtidos fortalecem a concepção de que apenas eventos que levam a uma reavaliação das crenças centrais dos indivíduos devem ser incluídos nos estudos de CPT. / Posttraumatic growth (PTG) refers to the positive change in some aspect of the human experience as a result of facing adverse situations (traumatic or general life crisis). The main goal of the present study was to investigate the psychometric properties of the Brazilian Version of the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI-B). To address this purpose, two distinct studies were performed. Study I was aimed to investigate the factor structure of the PTGI-B. It involved 321 people who had been through a wide range of adverse situations. The factorial structure of the PTGI was investigated using the method of confirmatory factorial analysis. Five different models of factorial structure were tested. The conventional five factor structure presented better adjustment indices when compared to the others. However, the factorial structure of five first order factors organized around a second order global PTG factor was also adequate. Study II intended to assess whether evidence of the external validity of the Brazilian Version of the Post Traumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI-B) is more consistent when considering the events in which individuals scored high versus individuals who scored low on the Centrality of Events Scale (ECE). The ECE assesses to what extent the reference event contributed to the formation of individuals' identity. A total of 317 people who had been through a variety of adverse events participated in the study. It was investigated the relationship between posttraumatic growth, social support, meaning in life, life satisfaction, religiosity and psychological distress. The correlations between PTGI-B scores and the other variables of interest became larger and more theoretically coherent in the subgroup that scored high in ECE than in the subgroup that scored low. The results obtained strengthen the conception that only events that lead to a reassessment of individuals’ central beliefs should be included in the PTG studies.

目的：本研究探討乳癌患者從受苦到經驗正向改變的轉化，以王韋婷（2014）研究為基礎進行探討。該研究於術後一日、三個月、六個月與一年，追蹤測量乳癌患者的創傷後成長（PTG），並依量表分數變化將參與者分為四種軌跡發展組別，分別為高穩定組、中間組、上升組與下降組。本研究以訪談方式進行後續追蹤。 方法：研究採取雙盲設計，抽取王韋婷（2014）研究參與者樣本，共有五位參與者，平均罹癌年齡35.6歲，接受單次訪談。資料分析以現象學心理學方法進行，並對應其受創傷成長發展軌跡組別（分別為高穩定組三位、中間組兩位），進行討論。 結果與討論：研究結果發現，參與者的主題置身結構包括：「癌症療程是溢出常態的受苦經驗」、「受苦經驗中的照顧倫理行動」、「反求諸己的受苦意涵」、「在世牽掛的流變」，並由此帶出「生活是日常與非日常的背景-前景辯證歷程」。本研究顯示PTG高穩定組的參與者，從焦慮過渡到操煩，朝向生活世界的歷程，是打開此在與生活世界、社會的交往。PTG中間組的兩位參與者，試圖領會身體限制的存在意義，仍在尋求身體的安居。只有身體的返家意識，在安居中獲得熟悉感，才能夠出發朝向世界，因此在未來的時間流變中，仍有持續邁向成長的可能性。 結論：PTG高維持組受訪者以釋放控制，帶出了「朝死而生」的本真活動，是「在己生命」開展了生活世界。PTG中間組以固守控制，將現今未能解除的困境寄望未來，是他人束縛下求全的「為己生命」。最後，提出研究限制與未來研究建議。 / Objectives: The study aims to explore how the young breast cancer survivors perceived psychological growth since operation treatment, focusing on their transformative experiences of interpersonal situatedness and sense of future temporality. Methods: Based on the dissertation by Wang (2014), the participants are recruited from Wang’s research the subjects were divided into four groups (stable high, middle stable, low increasing, and sharp decreasing) by the patterns of their posttraumatic growth(PTG) scores assessed at 1day, 3, 6, 12 months after surgery. There are five participants whose mean age 35.6 at diagnosis were interviewed and data transcribed, and analyzed by phenomenological psychology approach. Results: Four themes emerged from the data analysis, including: (1) Enduring suffering out of daily order under cancer treatment. (2) Ethical act to care for suffering experiencing. (3) Meaning transformation of the suffering. (4) Different solicitude modes of being-in-the-world. Participants belonging to stable high group turn their state of mind from anxiety (Angst) into care (Sorge), facing the life situation and engage in life world. Participants belonging to middle stable group try to realize existential meaning and the sense of uncanny body, seeking for the dwelling of the habitual body. The ill life is an unhomelike being-in-the-world in which the lived body, the central vehicle of this being-in of Da-sein, takes on alien and uncanny qualities. Health, in contrast to this frustrating unhomelikeness, is a homelike being-in-the-world in which the lived body in most cases has a transparent quality as the point of access to the world in understanding activities. Conclusion: Participants belonging to stable high group carry on limited lifetime and take authentic mode of being toward death, illustrating ‘being-in-itself’, and the experience of illness underlines our homeless predicament, but it can also serve as a springboard to addressing and living with existential uncertainty in a more authentic way. Participants belonging to middle stable group hold on limited lifetime and take future temporality as a hope to leave the predicament, illustrating ‘being-for-itself’, and it projects the possibilities of the future, on the basis of the care pattern of meaning constituting its past, as a means of constructing its present. In Heidegger’s words, ‘‘The totality of being of Dasein as care means: ahead-of-itself-already-being-in (a world) as being-together-with beings encountered in the world”. The outcome implication and further research agenda are discussed.

Crescimento pós-traumático (CPT) refere-se à mudança positiva em algum aspecto da experiência humana como resultado do enfrentamento de situações adversas (traumáticas ou crises de vida em geral). O objetivo geral do presente trabalho foi investigar em uma amostra brasileira as propriedades psicométricas da Versão Brasileira do Inventário de Crescimento Pós-Traumático (Brazilian Version of the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory – PTGI-B), instrumento que se propõe a mensurar CPT. Para isso, dois estudos distintos foram realizados. O Estudo I buscou investigar a estrutural fatorial do PTGI-B. Participaram dele 321 pessoas que passaram por situações adversas variadas. A estrutura fatorial do PTGI-B foi investigada através do método de análise fatorial confirmatória. Testou-se cinco diferentes modelos de estrutura fatorial. A estrutura convencional de cinco fatores apresentou melhores índices de ajuste quando comparada às demais. Além disso, o modelo de cinco fatores de primeira ordem organizados em torno de um fator geral de segunda ordem também mostrou índices de ajuste adequados. O Estudo II buscou avaliar se as evidências de validade externa da Versão Brasileira do Inventário de Crescimento Pós-Traumático (PTGI-B) são mais consistentes quando se compara os resultados de um subgrupo pontuou alto na Escala de Centralidade de Eventos (ECE) versus os resultados do subgrupo que pontuou baixo na ECE - que avalia em que medida o evento de referência contribuiu na formação da identidade dos indivíduos. Participaram do estudo 317 pessoas que passaram por situações adversas variadas. Investigou-se a relação entre crescimento pós-traumático, suporte social, sentido de vida, satisfação com a vida, religiosidade e desajuste psicológico. As correlações entre CPT e as demais variáveis de interesse mostraram-se maiores e mais coerentes no subgrupo que pontuou alto na ECE do que no subgrupo que pontuou baixo. Os resultados obtidos fortalecem a concepção de que apenas eventos que levam a uma reavaliação das crenças centrais dos indivíduos devem ser incluídos nos estudos de CPT. / Posttraumatic growth (PTG) refers to the positive change in some aspect of the human experience as a result of facing adverse situations (traumatic or general life crisis). The main goal of the present study was to investigate the psychometric properties of the Brazilian Version of the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI-B). To address this purpose, two distinct studies were performed. Study I was aimed to investigate the factor structure of the PTGI-B. It involved 321 people who had been through a wide range of adverse situations. The factorial structure of the PTGI was investigated using the method of confirmatory factorial analysis. Five different models of factorial structure were tested. The conventional five factor structure presented better adjustment indices when compared to the others. However, the factorial structure of five first order factors organized around a second order global PTG factor was also adequate. Study II intended to assess whether evidence of the external validity of the Brazilian Version of the Post Traumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI-B) is more consistent when considering the events in which individuals scored high versus individuals who scored low on the Centrality of Events Scale (ECE). The ECE assesses to what extent the reference event contributed to the formation of individuals' identity. A total of 317 people who had been through a variety of adverse events participated in the study. It was investigated the relationship between posttraumatic growth, social support, meaning in life, life satisfaction, religiosity and psychological distress. The correlations between PTGI-B scores and the other variables of interest became larger and more theoretically coherent in the subgroup that scored high in ECE than in the subgroup that scored low. The results obtained strengthen the conception that only events that lead to a reassessment of individuals’ central beliefs should be included in the PTG studies.

The sudden or violent death of a loved one (e.g., suicide, homicide, accident, etc.) poses unique challenges for the bereaved. Research has found such losses to be associated with higher levels of chronic psychological distress, now termed Persistent Complex Bereavement Disorder in the DSM-5 and Prolonged Grief Disorder in the forthcoming ICD-11. The present study, developed through the lens of Multidimensional Grief Theory (MGT; Kaplow et al., 2013), explored underlying mechanisms and risk and protective factors for both prolonged grief and posttraumatic growth. With a mixed college and community sample of 374 traumatically bereaved adults, results of a path analysis suggest that insecure attachment strategies play a significant role in prolonged grief symptoms through the mediators of identity distress and shattered assumptions. Faced with the traumatic loss of a loved one, the ability and desire to effectively access relationships facilitating intentional processing that promotes cognitive reorganization is predicated on the bereaved's internal working model of attachment. Specifically, attachment anxiety in relation to close others and God, and attachment avoidance in relation to close others, were indirectly associated with prolonged grief. However, attachment avoidance in relation to God was negatively associated with both prolonged grief and posttraumatic growth, and there was no evidence for mediation. One explanation for this could be that individuals endorsing divine attachment avoidance are less likely to make negative religious attributions about the death, which have been associated with chronic psychological distress, but are also less likely to be able to utilize the sacred as a context for growth. By considering traumatically bereaved individuals' internal working model of attachment, level of identity distress, and potentially shattered assumptions, our model accounted for each of MGT's three domains of distress thought to impact post-lost adjustment. That these domains were both inter-related and associated with differential outcomes speaks to the complex nuances of each grief journey and the importance of attending to more than global levels of distress. These results inform the assessment and treatment of individuals bereaved through sudden or violent means.

Although the number of rapes in South Africa is increasing, there are limited resources to which women can turn in their time of need. This is especially true with regard to spousal rape. The lack of supportive interventions exacerbates the posttraumatic stress women experience due to rape. In order to address this concern, this research seeks to identify and evaluate, by means of questionnaires, various therapy methods which are utilised by pastoral counsellors as well as secular service providers within South Africa. Both Christian women and women who are not affiliated with the Christian religion who have in some way sought assistance from the church and who have experienced spousal rape related posttraumatic stress are interviewed and the results are utilized to propose an alternative approach to pastoral counselling with persons who suffer from rape-related posttraumatic stress. Gender sensitivity is crucial to this approach. This thesis consists of seven chapters. In Chapter 1, Spousal Rape – a challenge for pastoral counselling, explains the motivation for the thesis and gives the research framework. Chapter 2 explores the phenomenon of rape, considering stranger, acquaintance, and spousal rapes. Chapter 3 develops the phenomenon of traumatic stress, particularly as it relates to spousal rape, and Chapter 4 covers the questionnaires returned, and interviews of spousal rape victims. The relevance of spirituality is covered in Chapter 5, and in Chapter 6, a counselling model is proposed with regard to the counselling of spousal rape victims. Chapter 7 deals with the transformation and emotional healing of these victims. There are ten appendixes connected, some containing information, consent and interview questionnaires used with the participants and the remainder contain information such as the Sexual Offences Bill, and DSM-IV diagnostic criteria as they relate to this thesis. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Practical Theology / unrestricted