Interpersonal violence in adulthood adversely affects large numbers of people around the world; its deleterious physical and psychological consequences are well documented. Over the past 18 years, research has broadened its focus to the full range of potential sequelae including posttraumatic growth (PTG). The first paper presents a systematic review of the literature addressing PTG in survivors of interpersonal violence in adulthood. The evidence reviewed suggests that growth is experienced by around 70% of survivors, and is by no means a universal phenomenon. Findings point to the therapeutic relevance of cognitive-behavioural therapy and developing individuals' social support networks. Implications for future research are discussed with an emphasis on factors associated with PTG. The second paper presents an empirical study of factors related to PTG and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in female survivors of intimate-partner violence (IPV). The internet-based questionnaire study employed an international sample of 200 women. While there may be some overlap in PTG and PTSD, the current finding suggest that the two trauma outcomes may be separate constructs. Although cross-sectional, findings draw attention to the importance of positive, post-trauma variables such as coping self-efficacy and social support in facilitating PTG and protecting against PTSD. Future longitudinal research is required to investigate the pattern of PTG development over time and the clinical utility of PTO for this population.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:599883 |
| Date | January 2013 |
| Creators | Elderton, Anna Jane |
| Publisher | University of Oxford |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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