Examining posttraumatic growth among Japanese university students

Abstract

To determine the underlying factor structure of the Japanese version of the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI-J), a principal components analysis was performed on data from 312 Japanese undergraduate students who reported growth due to their most traumatic event within the last 5 years. Results showed the PTGI-J has high internal consistency and, of the original five factors reported by Tedeschi and Calhoun (1996), three were replicated: Relating to Others, New Possibilities, Personal Strength, and a fourth factor integrating Spiritual Change and Appreciation of Life emerged. There were neither gender differences nor relationships with time since trauma. PTGI-J scores were positively associated with posttraumatic symptoms and correlated with type of traumatic event experienced. These results and future directions are discussed from a cross-cultural viewpoint.

A study of posttraumatic stress symptoms among young adults in Japan : correlates and effects on mental health and quality of life

“…In the present study, especially, events related to bereavement were less prevalent than those in the previous study 32 .…”

“…The mean IES R score in the current study was 16.7 points, which was somewhat lower than the 23.6 points cited earlier 32 . In the present study, especially, events related to bereavement were less prevalent than those in the previous study 32 .…”

“…A study of intensely stressful events for Japanese college students indicated that 33.3 of these events related to relationships and 20.8 related to school 32 . In the current study, 30.6 of stressful events related to relationships and 37.7 related to school, so the proportions of these events were the same or higher.…”

“…In other words, the sample size was determined by the maximum number of people that could be extracted from a sample of controls to match the objective of the present study. 32 .…”

Growth Following Trauma: Overview and Current Status

“…This human capacity to identify benefits from crisis has already been reported in various populations including cancer survivors (Cordova, Cunningham, Carlson, & Andrykowski, 2001), people who experienced sexual assault (Frazier, Conlon, & Glaser, 2001) and bereavement (Currier, Mallot, Martinez, Sandy & Neimeyer, 2012), youth exposed to terror incidents (Laufer & Solomon, 2006), and even caregivers of cancer survivors (Weiss, 2002). Growth following stressors has been reported across many cultures (e.g., for Australians: Shakespeare-Finch & Coppoing, 2006; for Chinese : Ho, Chu, & Yiu, 2008; for Japanese : Taku, Calhoun, Tedeschi, Gil-Rivas, Kilmer, & Cann, 2007; for Latina immigrants: Berger & Weiss, 2006; for Malaysians: Schroevers & Teo, 2008).…”