a Department of Clinical Psychology and Experimental Psychopathology , University of Groningen , Groningen , the Netherlands.
b Department of Clinical Psychology , Utrecht University , Utrecht , the Netherlands.
Anxiety Stress Coping. 2019 May;32(3):231-243. doi: 10.1080/10615806.2019.1584293. Epub 2019 Feb 22.
Major negative life-events including bereavement can precipitate perceived positive life-changes, termed posttraumatic growth (PTG). While traditionally considered an adaptive phenomenon, it has been suggested that PTG represents a maladaptive coping response similar to cognitive avoidance. To clarify the function of PTG, it is crucial to establish concurrent and longitudinal associations of PTG with post-event mental health problems. Yet, longitudinal studies on this topic are scarce. The present study fills this gap in knowledge.
A two-wave longitudinal survey was conducted.
Four-hundred and twelve bereaved adults (87.6% women) filled out scales assessing PTG and symptoms of depression, anxiety, prolonged grief, and posttraumatic stress at baseline and 6 months later.
The baseline concurrent relationships between all symptom levels and PTG were curvilinear (inverted U-shape). Cross-lagged analyses demonstrated that symptom levels did not predict levels of PTG 6 months later, or vice versa.
Findings suggest PTG after loss has no substantive negative or positive effects on mental health. Development of specific treatments to increase PTG after bereavement therefore appears premature.
重大的负面生活事件，包括丧亲之痛，可能会引发人们感知到的积极的生活变化，被称为创伤后成长（PTG）。虽然传统上认为这是一种适应现象，但有人认为 PTG 代表了一种适应不良的应对反应，类似于认知回避。为了澄清 PTG 的功能，建立 PTG 与事件后心理健康问题的同时期和纵向关联至关重要。然而，关于这个主题的纵向研究很少。本研究填补了这一知识空白。
进行了一项两波纵向调查。
412 名丧亲的成年人（87.6%为女性）在基线和 6 个月后填写了评估 PTG 和抑郁、焦虑、持续性悲伤和创伤后应激症状的量表。
所有症状水平与 PTG 的基线同期关系呈曲线（倒 U 形）。交叉滞后分析表明，症状水平在 6 个月后不会预测 PTG 水平，反之亦然。
研究结果表明，丧亲后的 PTG 对心理健康没有实质性的负面或正面影响。因此，开发针对丧亲后增加 PTG 的特定治疗方法似乎还为时过早。
