Changes in psychosocial resources as predictors of posttraumatic growth: A longitudinal study of low-income, female Hurricane Katrina survivors.

Abstract

This study examined how well the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI; Tedeschi & Calhoun, 1996) corresponds with self-reported pre-to posttrauma changes in related constructs, including sense of purpose in life, religiosity, and social support. Participants were 328 low-income mothers (85.2% non-Hispanic Black) who survived Hurricane Katrina and completed surveys approximately 1 year predisaster (Time 1), 4 years postdisaster (Time 2), and 12 years postdisaster (Time 3). PTG was assessed at Time 2 and Time 3, and related constructs were assessed at all waves. Pre-to postdisaster changes in the following related constructs were significantly associated with the corresponding PTGI subscales: purpose in life with Relating to Others, Personal Strength, and New Possibilities; religiosity with Spiritual Change; and perceived social support with Relating to Others. The results demonstrate a link between a number of self-reported pre-to posttrauma psychological changes measured over time and the PTGI. Replication of these results using measures more closely aligned to the PTGI subscales, among more representative samples and in the aftermath of other traumatic events, is warranted.

Long-term courses of posttraumatic growth in survivors of Hurricane Katrina.

“…Consistent with previous research, membership in PTG courses was also related to participants’ sense of purpose in life. Previous research has linked survivors’ sense of purpose in life 4 and 12 years following Hurricane Katrina being associated with higher levels of PTG in survivors of weather-related disasters at those time points (Lowe et al, 2013; Manove et al, 2021). This connection may be driven by items across the PTGI subscales that align with the sense of purpose in life measured in the present study.…”

Posttraumatic growth and its relationship with posttraumatic stress symptoms following wildfires: A longitudinal study.

“…In the present study, PTG at each assessment period was quite low, with means ranging from 36.42 (SD = 1.52) to 39.55 (SD = 1.32) between 18 and 36 months after the fires. Other studies have found higher means among survivors of cancer up to 2 years (M = 51.48) and up to five and a half years after their diagnosis (M = 60.21; Romeo et al, 2020;Weiss, 2002), among bereaved parents up to 8 years (M = 79.72 for fathers and M = 83.47 for mothers) and up to approximately 9 years after their loss (M = 56.80; Polatinsky & Esprey, 2000;, and among tornado and hurricane victims up to 9 months (M = 54.01) and 12 years (M = 59.18) after the disasters (An et al, 2018;Manove et al, 2021). This might suggest that the context surrounding the trauma could have an impact on the PTG level.…”

Posttraumatic Growth in a Nursing Population During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Posttraumatic Growth (PTG). The dependent variable for this study was PTG, measured by the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory Short-Form (PTGI-SF) [53] a validated (54,55) and widely used (30,56,57) measure assessing growth because of a stressful or traumatic event derived from the Tedeschi and Calhoun's original Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI) [58]. The PTGI-SF has been used with healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic [34,59,60] and consists of ten items each with a 0-5 response scale.…”