Table 5.
Resilience and post-traumatic growth.
| Citation | Title | Sample | Findings | Clinical implications |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tsai et al. (105) | Post-traumatic growth among veterans in the USA: Results from the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study | Cohort 1 (n = 3,157) | 50.1% of all veterans and 72.0% of veterans who screened positive for PTSD reported at least “moderate” PTG in relation to their worst traumatic event. A quadratic relationship was found to best explain the relationship between PTSD symptoms and PTG. | Greater social support, purpose in life and intrinsic religiosity were independently associated with PTG, suggesting that clinical interventions designed to promote these factors may help foster post-traumatic growth. |
| Tsai et al. (106) | What doesn't kill you makes you stronger: A national study of U.S. military veterans | Cohort 1 Baseline and Wave 2 (n = 1,057) | Greater scores on the Personal Strength domain of the PTG Inventory-Short Form at baseline was associated with reduced severity and incidence of PTSD at a 2-year follow-up. | Veterans who perceive greater gains in personal strength, perhaps as a result of developing greater coping skills in response to previous traumas, may be better able to cope with subsequent traumas. |
| Tsai et al. (104) | Longitudinal course of post-traumatic growth among U.S. military veterans: Results from the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study | Cohort 1 Baseline and Wave 2 (n = 1,838) | Five courses of PTG were identified. More than half of veterans who reported at least “moderate” PTG maintained that level 2 years later. PTSD symptoms, medical conditions, purpose in life, altruism, gratitude, religiosity, and an active reading lifestyle predicted maintenance or increase in PTG. | Potentially reading and writing about the trauma may facilitate PTG in veterans with PTSD and physical health conditions may help reduce burdens from these disorders. |
| Isaacs et al. (107) | Psychological resilience in U.S. military veterans: A 2-year, nationally representative prospective cohort study | Cohort 1 Baseline and Wave 2 (n = 2,157) | Results suggest that the majority of trauma-exposed veterans (67.7%) are psychologically resilient. Higher levels of emotional stability, extraversion, gratitude, purpose in life, and altruism, and lower levels of openness to experiences predicted resilient status. | Purpose in life, gratitude, and altruism, are potentially modifiable, and thus suggest possible population-based targets for prevention and treatment efforts designed to bolster psychological resilience in veterans. |
| Sharma et al. (108) | Religion, spirituality, and mental health of U.S. military veterans: Results from the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study | Cohort 1 (n = 3,151) | Higher levels of religion/spirituality were also strongly linked with increased dispositional gratitude, purpose in life, and post-traumatic growth. | Broader spiritual activities/practices, such as mindfulness, yoga, and breathing-based meditation may have beneficial effects in mitigating symptoms of PTSD, depression and anxiety. |
| Tsai and Pietrzak (109) | Trajectories of post-traumatic growth among US military veterans: A 4-year nationally representative, prospective cohort study | Cohort 1 Baseline, Wave 2, and Wave 3 (n = 2,718) | Greater severity of re-experiencing and avoidance PTSD symptoms at baseline predicted “Consistently Moderate” and “High and Increasing” PTG trajectories. Compared to the “Low and Decreasing” trajectory, the “High and Increasing PTG” trajectory scored higher on baseline measures of gratitude, purpose in life, spirituality, and social support. | Multidisciplinary approaches that include peer support programs, spiritual leaders, and loved ones in the clinical process may be needed to enhance these deep philosophical domains of life and functioning, and help facilitate PTG. |
| Martz et al. (110) | Post-traumatic growth moderates the effect of post-traumatic stress on quality of life in U.S. military veterans with life-threatening illness or injury | Cohort 1 (n = 418) | PTSD was inversely associated with quality of life. Both PTGI-Total and all five PTGI subscales successfully moderated the influence of PTSD on perceived quality of life. | Acceptance and Commitment Therapy or Coping Effectiveness Training may help individuals with life-threatening injuries and medical conditions with finding some positive aspects of life that can instill new meanings, despite the fact that their medical conditions may never be cured and could even worsen. |
| Whealin et al. (111) | Dynamic interplay between PTSD symptoms and post-traumatic growth in older military veterans | Cohort 1 Baseline, Wave 2, and Wave 3 (n = 2,006) | Post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms had strong associations with both current and subsequent post-traumatic growth, with the relationship optimally characterized by a non-linear, “inverted U” shaped association in which moderate PTSD symptoms are associated with the greatest gains in PTG over time. | Interventions to promote deliberate, constructive attempts to manage chronic PTSD symptoms via active and religious coping may help promote greater post-traumatic growth in trauma-exposed veterans |