Posttraumatic growth and well-being among people living with HIV: A systematic review and meta-analysis in recognition of 40 years of HIV/AIDS

Abstract

Objectives This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to synthesize, analyze, and critically review existing studies on the relationship between posttraumatic growth (PTG) and psychological well-being (operationalized either via positive or negative well-being indicators) among people living with HIV (PLWH). We also investigated whether this association varies as a function of socio-demographic, clinical characteristics, and study publication year. Method We conducted a structured literature search on Web of Science, Scopus, MedLine, PsyARTICLES, ProQuest, and Google Scholar. The most important inclusion criteria encompassed quantitative and peer-reviewed articles published in English. Results After selection, we accepted 27 articles for further analysis (N = 6333 participants). Eight studies used positive indicators of well-being. The other 19 studies focused on negative indicators of well-being. Meta-analysis revealed that there was a negative weak-size association between PTG and negative well-being indicators (r = − 0.18, 95% CI [− 0.23; − 0.11]) and a positive medium-size association between PTG and positive well-being measures (r = 0.35, 95% CI [0.21; 0.47]). We detected no moderators. Conclusions The present meta-analysis and systematic review revealed expected negative and positive associations between PTG and negative versus positive well-being indicators among PLWH. Specifically, the relationship between PTG and positive well-being indicators was more substantial than the link between PTG and negative well-being measures in these patients. Finally, observed high heterogeneity between studies and several measurement problems call for significant modification and improvement of PTG research among PLWH.

Posttraumatic growth as a moderator between pandemic-related distress and mental health symptoms in U.S. young adults.

“…Furthermore, data were obtained from self-reported questionnaires and thus researchers may need to consider social desirability and recall bias. Future studies that replace retrospective, self-reported measures (including PTG) may be beneficial (Pięta & Rzeszutek, 2022). In addition, the current study did not include possible assessment tools that could be important to further explain the role of PTG (e.g., emotional distress, rumination).…”

Intraindividual Variability in Daily Experiences of Posttraumatic Growth, Affect, and HIV/AIDS Stigma among People Living with HIV: Does Resilience Matter?

“…Vulnerable clinical populations are subjected to dynamic stress circumstances, such as HIV/AIDS stigma, which should be particularly monitored in these patients' daily lives [32]. A particularly interesting question is whether daily uctuations in PLWH's positive and negative well-being are associated with their baseline levels of various stable personal characteristics [33,34]. Therefore, in the current research, we focused on assessing the role of psychological resilience in PLWH's daily lives.…”

Trajectories of posttraumatic growth and posttraumatic depreciation: A one-year prospective study among people living with HIV

“…Despite the vast philosophical background for that concept and the numerous theoretical models that emerged over the years, the PTG research area still needs to overcome several important challenges [ 3 , 4 ]. Recent systematic reviews and meta-analyses [ 5 – 8 ] call for advancements in PTG study designs, including the need for more widespread longitudinal measures of PTG. To this date, very few longitudinal PTG studies have been conducted, and most of these ignore the construct of posttraumatic depreciation (PTD)—defined as reduced of psychological adjustment, impaired cognitive functioning, and low emotional awareness—enabling a parallel measurement of negative changes co-occurring with domains of PTG [ 9 , 10 ].…”

“…The literature on PTG among PLWH is full of inconsistent results regarding its association with sociodemographic data or HIV-related medical variables [ 19 , 20 ], particularly the time since HIV diagnosis [ 18 , 21 , 22 ]. Also, most studies identify higher PTG levels in women living with HIV, at least in the Western context, and the relationships between PTG and ethnicity, age, and sexual orientation vary depending on the context of a given study [ 8 ]. Moreover, HIV-related psychological distress can be characterized by complex etiology and dynamics, particularly when enhanced by social factors, such as HIV/AIDS stigma [ 8 , 23 ].…”

“…Also, most studies identify higher PTG levels in women living with HIV, at least in the Western context, and the relationships between PTG and ethnicity, age, and sexual orientation vary depending on the context of a given study [ 8 ]. Moreover, HIV-related psychological distress can be characterized by complex etiology and dynamics, particularly when enhanced by social factors, such as HIV/AIDS stigma [ 8 , 23 ]. Nonetheless, what differentiates somatic threat from a conventional traumatic stressor in its classical sense (e.g., war, natural disaster) [ 24 , 25 ] is predominantly its internal and chronic nature.…”