No full-text available
To read the full-text of this research,
you can request a copy directly from the author.
Positive Psychology and Trauma: Understanding and Enhancing Posttraumatic Growth
Post-traumatic Growth (PTG) is a term coined by Richard Tedeschi in the 1990s. It refers to his observation that many affected people experience a positive personal transformation after a traumatic event, i.e. a positive post-traumatic development (Tedeschi and Moore 2016).
Posttraumatische Wachstum bzw. Posttraumatic Growth (PTG) ist ein in den 1990er-Jahren von Richard Tedeschi geprägter Begriff. Er bezieht sich auf seine Beobachtung, dass nach einer traumatischen Erfahrung viele Betroffene eine positive persönliche Transformation, also eine positive posttraumatische Entwicklung durchleben (Tedeschi und Moore 2016).
Rowe (2008) defined micro-affirmations as small acts in the workplace fostering inclusion, listening, comfort, and support for people who may feel unwelcome or invisible in an environment. Within the context of higher education, micro-affirmations can communicate to students that they are welcome, visible, and capable of performing well in the college environment. Micro-affirmations have the potential to fuel optimal student development and thriving in college. Academic advising offers an opportunity to apply micro-affirmations to the college context and to student, faculty, and staff dynamics. This article expands upon Rowe's ideas to suggest that micro-affirmations can become frequent, intentional practice within academic advising to positively impact student engagement and, ultimately, enhance retention and graduation outcomes. This article will also suggest ways to communicate and apply micro-affirmations in academic advising.
Our study aims to examine the salutary effects and interactions of three Chinese indigenous well-being (CIWB) constructs, namely relationship harmony (advocated by Confucianism), dialectical coping (derived from Taoism), and nonattachment (based on Buddhism) on mental health. Participants were 262 Taiwanese college students. Results revealed that the three CIWB constructs showed distinct associations with mental health. Relationship harmony was related negatively to psychological distress and positively to meaning in life and happiness. Dialectical coping predicted higher levels of positive affect and meaning in life, whereas nonattachment was the only and strongest protective factor against negative affect and psychological distress. Overall, nonattachment demonstrated the most adaptive effects on mental health. Additionally, moderation effects between dialectical coping and nonattachment on self-esteem, psychological distress, and happiness were observed. These findings underscore the importance of simultaneously investigating CIWB constructs to capture their unique and interactive contribution to psychological adjustment. Practical and research implications are discussed.
Facilitation of posttraumatic growth (PTG) is an encouraging area of research, yet little is known about the relationship between mindfulness and PTG. While recent studies support the effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions with trauma-exposed populations and further findings link mindfulness with a variety of PTG outcomes, how these multidimensional constructs relate remains unclear. As such, the primary aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between mindfulness, specifically exploring differences between contemplative practitioners and nonpractitioners. Nonpractitioners (n = 248) and practitioners (n = 65) completed self-report measures of mindfulness, PTG, and trauma history online. Canonical correlation analyses indicate that contemplative practitioners reported higher levels of trait mindfulness and PTG as well as a stronger relationship between mindfulness and PTG in comparison with noncontemplative respondents. Results further indicate that the mindfulness dimensions were uniquely associated with PTG across the two groups. In summation, contemplative practitioners and nonpractitioners engaged different elements of mindfulness with respect to PTG and the mindfulness dimensions addressing behavioral regulation and evaluation appeared to be most closely associated with PTG. A hypothesized developmental trajectory in the relationship between mindfulness and PTG is discussed.
Background There is increasing recognition that, in addition to negative psychological consequences of trauma such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), some individuals may develop post-traumatic growth (PTG) following such experiences. To date, however, data regarding the prevalence, correlates and functional significance of PTG in population-based samples are lacking.
Method Data were analysed from the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study, a contemporary, nationally representative survey of 3157 US veterans. Veterans completed a survey containing measures of sociodemographic, military, health and psychosocial characteristics, and the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory-Short Form.
Results We found that 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. An inverted U-shaped relationship was found to best explain the relationship between PTSD symptoms and PTG. Among veterans with PTSD, those with PTSD reported better mental functioning and general health than those without PTG. Experiencing a life-threatening illness or injury and re-experiencing symptoms were most strongly associated with PTG. In multivariable analysis, greater social connectedness, intrinsic religiosity and purpose in life were independently associated with greater PTG.
Conclusions PTG is prevalent among US veterans, particularly among those who screen positive for PTSD. These results suggest that there may be a ‘positive legacy’ of trauma that has functional significance for veterans. They further suggest that interventions geared toward helping trauma-exposed US veterans process their re-experiencing symptoms, and to develop greater social connections, sense of purpose and intrinsic religiosity may help promote PTG in this population.
Previous studies have shown that Asian American or Chinese individuals value low-arousal positive affect and a harmonious state of happiness more than European Americans do. However, the affective component of subjective well-being has mostly been defined as the presence of positive affect and the absence of negative affect. This definition emphasizes the importance of hedonic pleasure but fails to include the affect valued in Chinese culture. The present study developed the construct of peace of mind to describe the affective well-being valued in Chinese culture. Peace of mind was defined as an internal state of peacefulness and harmony. To develop a measure to assess peace of mind, three studies were conducted. Study 1 developed the Peace of Mind Scale (PoM), Study 2 established its validity as an affective well-being measure, and Study 3 found that individuals from Chinese cultures score higher on this scale than those from Western cultures. The results indicate that the PoM has good reliability and validity for measuring affective well-being. The cross-cultural validation also found that Taiwanese individuals scored higher on the PoM than European Americans, which provides further evidence of good construct validity of the PoM.
In view of the limitations of mainstream Western psychology, the necessity of indigenous psychology for the development of global community psychology is discussed in the context of multiculturalism. In addition to this general introduction, four articles underlying a common theme were designed to discuss (a) various types of value conflicts between Confucian cultural heritage and Western individualism in an age of globalization; (b) the psychometric approach for measuring collectivistic conflict; (c) a counseling model of situational self-relation coordination for Chinese clients to handle interpersonal conflicts; and (d) the psychotherapeutic implications of various self-cultivation practices originating from the cultural traditions of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. The articles in this special issue may contribute to the development of indigenous counseling practice in multicultural Chinese communities.
Positive changes (posttraumatic growth [PTG]) and negative changes (posttraumatic depreciation [PTD]) were assessed using the PTGI-42 with persons reporting changes from a stressful event. PTG and PTD were uncorrelated, and PTG was much greater than PTD. PTG was positively related to disruption of core beliefs and recent deliberate rumination and negatively related to recent intrusive rumination. PTD was positively related to intrusive rumination. Quality of life and meaning in one's life were positively related to PTG, negatively related to PTD, and an interaction indicated that PTG moderated the impact of PTD on both, indicating that PTG and PTD may separately contribute to current well-being.
This article describes the concept of posttraumatic growth. its conceptual founda- tions, a/id supporting empirical evidence. Posttraumatic growth is the experience of positive change that occurs as a result of the struggle with highly challenging life cri- ses. It is manifested in a variety ofways, including an increased appreciationfor life in general, more meaningful interpersonal relationships, an increased sense ofpersonal strength. cha/lged priorities, and a richer existential and spiritual life. Although the term is ne..", the idea that great good can come from great suffering is ancient. We pro- pose a nlOdelfor understanding the process ofposttraumatic growth in which individ- ual characteristics, support and disclosure, a/Id more centrally, significant cognitive processing involving cognitive structures threatened or nullified by the traumatic events, play an important role. It is also suggested that posttraumatic growth mutually interacts with life wisdoma,1d the development of the life narrative, and that it is an on- going process, not a static outcome. In his memoir, No Such Thing as a Bad Day, Hamil- ton Jordan (2000) described some of the changes he experienced following his battle with cancer:
This study explored age, gender, reported English fluency, social support satisfaction and social connectedness as predictors of acculturative stress among a sample of 359 international students. Results indicate that international students from Europe experienced less acculturative stress than their counterparts from Asia, Central/Latin America, and Africa. Moreover, English fluency, social support satisfaction, and social connectedness were all predictors of acculturative stress. Implications for counselling and research are discussed.
Psychological well-being is a seminal concept in counseling and yet it is seldom discussed, researched, or critiqued; this article examines the cultural values and assumptions underlying its theory and research. Contemporary understandings of psychologi- cal and subjective well-being are placed in cultural and historical context to illuminate their Euro-American cultural roots. Approaches to psychological well-being are shown to presuppose ontological and liberal individualism as notions of the self and as normative prescriptions for the good or ideal person. It is argued that culture-free theories or measures of well-being are unattainable; all understandings of psychological well-being are based on moral visions.
a d va n c i n g s c i e n c e a n d p r o m o t i n g u n d e r s t a n d i n g o f t r a u m at i c s t r e s s Throughout human history the theme of positive changes following adversity is found in literature, religions, and philosophies. Most notable is Nietzsche's famous dictum, "What doesn't kill me makes me stronger." It was an idea also common to the existential and humanistic traditions of psychology of the mid-twentieth century. Viktor Frankl wrote about the will to meaning following his experiences in Theresienstadt and Auschwitz, and Abraham Maslow noted that confrontations with tragedy were often precursors to self-actualization. Scientific interest was sparked when a handful of studies appeared in the late 1980s and early 1990s, reporting positive changes in, for example, rape survivors (Burt & Katz, 1987), male cardiac patients (Affleck, Tennen, Croog, & Levine, 1987), bereaved adults (Edmonds & Hooker, 1992), and combat veterans (Elder & Clipp, 1989). Interest took hold during the 1990s as the construct was elaborated (e.g., O'Leary & Ickovics, 1995; Tedeschi & Calhoun, 1995) and with the emergence of several psychometric self-report tools, the Changes in Outlook Questionnaire (CiOQ: Joseph, Williams, & Yule, 1993), the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI: Tedeschi & Calhoun, 1996), the Stress-Related Growth Scale (SRGS: Park, Cohen, & Murch, 1996), the Perceived Benefit Scales (PBS: McMillen & Fisher, 1998), and the Thriving Scale (TS: Abraido-Lanza et al., 1998). But it is only over the past decade, bolstered by the new positive psychology movement, that the topic has become firmly established as a field of scientific research and clinical interest. Recent major texts include Calhoun and Tedeschi's (2006) Handbook of Post-traumatic Growth, and Joseph and Linley's (2008) Trauma, Recovery and Growth.
Chinese ways of dealing with seeming contradictions result in a dialectical or compromise approach—retaining basic elements of opposing perspectives by seeking a "middle way." On the other hand, European–American ways, deriving from a lay version of Aristotelian logic, result in a differentiation model that polarized contradictory perspectives in an effort to determine which factor is position is correct. Five empirical studies showed that dialectical thinking is a form of folk wisdom in Chinese culture: Chinese participants preferred dialectical proverbs containing seeming contradictions more than did American participants. Chinese participants also preferred dialectical resolutions to social conflicts and preferred dialectical arguments over classical Western logical arguments. Furthermore, when 2 apparently contradictory propositions were presented, American participants polarized their views, and Chinese participants were moderately accepting of of both propositions. Origins of these cultural differences and their implications for human reasoning in general are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
This paper reviews literature related to the international student population found in universities and colleges in the United States (U.S.). More specifically, adjustment issues, common stressors, and coping strategies of international students are explored. Multicultural counseling issues and the help-seeking behavior of international students are addressed. Methods in which college counselors and personnel can assist international students in achieving a positive experience are also discussed. Finally, suggestions for further research are made. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Reviews and elaborates the psychoanalytic concept of the working alliance. It is argued that various modes of psychotherapy can be meaningfully differentiated in terms of the kinds of working alliances (WA) embedded in them. Moreover, the strength, rather than the kind of WA, will prove to be the major factor in change achieved through psychotherapy. Strength of alliance will be a function of the goodness of fit of the respective personalities of patient and therapist to the demands of the WA. The WA includes 3 features: agreement on goals, assignment of tasks, and the development of bonds. (36 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
This study compared academic stressors and reactions to stressors between American and international students using Gadzella's Life Stress Inventory (B. M. Gadzella, 1991). Five categories of academic stressors (i.e., frustra-tions, conflicts, pressures, changes, and self-imposed) and four categories describing reactions to these stressors (i.e., physiological, emotional, behav-ioral, and cognitive) were examined. The sample consisted of 392 interna-tional and American students from 2 Midwestern universities. American students reported higher self-imposed stressors and greater behavioral reac-tions to stressors than international students. Respondent's status (American or international) and interaction of status and stressors emerged as the 2 strongest predictors of their behavioral, emotional, physiological, and cog-nitive reaction to stressors. Five stressors attained statistical significance in the regression model. The findings emphasize the need to recognize cultural differences in stress management. Implications for mental health providers in the university arena are discussed. KEY WORDS: academic stressors; American students; international students; reactions to stressors The international student population in the United States has been growing steadily since the 1950s and constitutes a significant proportion of higher education students. For example, international students represent 12% of all master's degrees and 26.
Adopting a ‘cross-cultural indigenous approach’ (CCI), we attempted a conceptual analysis of cultural conceptions of SWB in terms of individual-oriented SWB (ISWB) and socially oriented SWB (SSWB) views. Also incorporating findings from our previous qualitative studies, a culturally balanced and fair measurement, The Individual-oriented and Socially oriented cultural conceptions of SWB Scales (ISSWB) was developed and evaluated in two studies involving Chinese and American participants. The 51-item version of the new measure showed good internal consistency reliability, test–retest reliability, convergent and discriminant validity. Further analysis showed that the Chinese possessed stronger SSWB than the Americans, while the Americans possessed stronger ISWB than the Chinese. There were also intracultural differences among the Chinese people. Overall, the studies showed the utility of ISSWB scales for future studies.
The study examines self-reported satisfaction with life and thefactors predicting it among 304 international students (159 malesand 145 females) at the University of Bergen, Norway. Thestudents had on the average lived 2.34 years (SD = 2.31) inNorway. The students reported on the whole good satisfactionwith life. However, students from Europe and North America wereon the whole more satisfied than their peers from Africa andAsia. It was also found that factors such as the number offriends, satisfaction with finances, perceived discrimination andinformation received prior to the foreign sojourn significantlyaffected the student's life satisfaction. The importance ofthese factors differed for students from developing and developedcountries where some paradoxical findings came out. Theseparadoxical findings may be the result of the Norwegian contextof the study. Language proficiency (with respect to host andEnglish languages), and having a host national friend did notshow significant effect on life satisfaction.
In this chapter we suggest that “happiness,” or high subjective wellbeing, is more strongly associated with the frequency
and duration of people’s positive feelings, not with the intensity of those feelings. People who rarely or never feel euphoria,
for instance, can nonetheless report very high levels of well-being. We hypothesize that there are several reasons that subjective
well-being is more strongly associated with the amount of time people feel positive versus negative feelings rather than with
the intensity of their positive feelings. Intense positive feelings often have costs, including a tendency to more intense
negative feelings in negative situations. Another hypothesis is that it is more difficult to accurately measure the intensity
of feelings than their time-course, and this makes the amount of time people feel positive more amenable to study with self-report
methods. The intensity of people’s positive emotions should not be ignored, but should be studied in combination with the
time-course (frequency and duration) of positive and negative feelings.
The authors examined avoidance personal goals as concurrent (Study 1) and longitudinal (Study 2) predictors of multiple aspects of well-being in the United States and Japan. In both studies, participants adopted more avoidance personal goals in Japan relative to the United States. Both studies also demonstrated that avoidance personal goals were significant negative predictors of the most relevant aspects of well-being in each culture. Specifically, avoidance personal goals were negative predictors of intrapersonal and eudaimonic well-being in the United States and were negative predictors of interpersonal and eudaimonic well-being in Japan. The findings clarify and extend puzzling findings from prior empirical work in this area, and raise provocative possibilities about the nature of avoidance goal pursuit. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved).
An upward trend of suicides has emerged in the U.S. military, and record high suicide rates have been reported. There is abundant evidence of the negative consequences of trauma, especially posttraumatic stress disorder, as risk factors for suicide. However, stressful events and trauma sometimes can have positive psychological consequences, commonly labeled posttraumatic growth (PTG). Little formal research has examined the role of PTG in moderating suicide in the military. We examined the relationship between PTG and suicidal ideation in data reported by 5302 service members with war zone or combat experience completing the Army's Automated Behavioral Health Clinic electronic screening. Controlling for other known risk factors for suicide, we found that the more PTG service members reported, the less suicidal ideation they subsequently espoused. Our results suggest the need for further research to determine the potential clinical value of PTG as a therapeutic component of suicide prevention.
Positive emotions are hypothesized to undo the cardiovascular aftereffects of negative emotions. Study 1 tests this undoing effect. Participants (n = 170) experiencing anxiety-induced cardiovascular reactivity viewed a film that elicited (a) contentment, (b) amusement, (c) neutrality, or (d) sadness. Contentment-eliciting and amusing films produced faster cardiovascular recovery than neutral or sad films did. Participants in Study 2 (n = 185) viewed these same films following a neutral state. Results disconfirm the alternative explanation that the undoing effect reflects a simple replacement process. Findings are contextualized by Fredrickson's broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions (B. L. Fredrickson, 1998).
What options are available to mental health providers helping clients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)? In this paper we review many of the current pharmacological and psychological interventions available to help prevent and treat PTSD with an emphasis on combat-related traumas and Veteran populations. There is strong evidence supporting the use of several therapies including prolonged exposure (PE), eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), and cognitive processing therapies (CPT), with PE possessing the most empirical evidence in favor of its efficacy. There have been relatively fewer studies of non-exposure based modalities (e.g., psychodynamic, interpersonal, and dialectical behavior therapy perspectives), but there is no evidence that these treatments are less effective. Pharmacotherapy is promising (especially paroxetine, sertraline, and venlafaxine), but more research comparing the relative merits of medication vs. psychotherapy and the efficacy of combined treatments is needed. Given the recent influx of combat-related traumas due to ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, there is clearly an urgent need to conduct more randomized clinical trials research and effectiveness studies in military and Department of Veterans Affairs PTSD samples. Finally, we provide references to a number of PTSD treatment manuals and propose several recommendations to help guide clinicians' treatment selections.
The Comprehensive Soldier Fitness program, currently under development for the U.S. Army, will include a component designed to increase the possibilities for posttraumatic growth in the aftermath of combat. In this article, we briefly review studies that provide evidence for this phenomenon in combat veterans, and we suggest elements that such a program might include to facilitate posttraumatic growth. We urge the Army to conduct randomized controlled trials testing the efficacy of the program prior to its implementation.
Cultural folk models of happiness and unhappiness are likely to have important bearings on social cognition and social behavior. At present, however, little is known about the nature of these models. Here, the authors systematically analyzed American and Japanese participants' spontaneously produced descriptions of the two emotions and observed, as predicted, that whereas Americans associated positive hedonic experience of happiness with personal achievement, Japanese associated it with social harmony. Furthermore, Japanese were more likely than Americans to mention both social disruption and transcendental reappraisal as features of happiness. As also predicted, unlike happiness, descriptions of unhappiness included various culture-specific coping actions: Whereas Americans focused on externalizing behavior (e.g., anger and aggression), Japanese highlighted transcendental reappraisal and self-improvement. Implications for research on culture and emotion are discussed.
Three studies demonstrated that avoidance personal goals are positively related to physical symptom reports. These results were obtained (a) using both longitudinal and retrospective methodologies and (b) controlling for neuroticism and other alternative predictor variables. In 2 of the studies, a process model was validated in which perceived competence and perceived controlledness were shown to mediate the observed relationship between avoidance goals and symptomatology. Specifically, avoidance goals predicted perceived competence and perceived controlledness, and these variables in turn predicted longitudinal and retrospective symptom reports. Ancillary results help clarify the unique roles of neuroticism and avoidance goals as predictors of physical symptomatology.
This paper introduces and applies an operationalization of mental health as a syndrome of symptoms of positive feelings and positive functioning in life. Dimensions and scales of subjective well-being are reviewed and conceived of as mental health symptoms. A diagnosis of the presence of mental health, described as flourishing, and the absence of mental health, characterized as languishing, is applied to data from the 1995 Midlife in the United States study of adults between the ages of 25 and 74 (n = 3,032). Findings revealed that 17.2 percent fit the criteria for flourishing, 56.6 percent were moderately mentally healthy, 12.1 percent of adults fit the criteria for languishing, and 14.1 percent fit the criteria for DSM-III-R major depressive episode (12-month), of which 9.4 percent were not languishing and 4.7 percent were also languishing. The risk of a major depressive episode was two times more likely among languishing than moderately mentally healthy adults, and nearly six times greater among languishing than flourishing adults. Multivariate analyses revealed that languishing and depression were associated with significant psychosocial impairment in terms of perceived emotional health, limitations of activities of daily living, and workdays lost or cutback. Flourishing and moderate mental health were associated with superior profiles of psychosocial functioning. The descriptive epidemiology revealed that males, older adults, more educated individuals, and married adults were more likely to be mentally healthy. Implications for the conception of mental health and the treatment and prevention of mental illness are discussed.
The effect of a grateful outlook on psychological and physical well-being was examined. In Studies 1 and 2, participants were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 experimental conditions (hassles, gratitude listing, and either neutral life events or social comparison); they then kept weekly (Study 1) or daily (Study 2) records of their moods, coping behaviors, health behaviors, physical symptoms, and overall life appraisals. In a 3rd study, persons with neuromuscular disease were randomly assigned to either the gratitude condition or to a control condition. The gratitude-outlook groups exhibited heightened well-being across several, though not all, of the outcome measures across the 3 studies, relative to the comparison groups. The effect on positive affect appeared to be the most robust finding. Results suggest that a conscious focus on blessings may have emotional and interpersonal benefits.
Trauma touches the lives of many of the clients with whom rehabilitation counselors work. Posttraumatic Growth (PTG) is a positive psychological response to trauma, manifesting as improvements in critical life areas such as relationships, personality, self-efficacy, and spirituality. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder triggered by trauma. While PTG and PTSD are separate entities, the two have a strong positive correlation. Stress and severe trauma are required to set both PTG and PTSD in motion. Although some people are predisposed to develop PTG based on variables associated with personality traits and the trauma itself, PTG can be facilitated in counseling and therapy. The purpose of this paper is to educate rehabilitation counselors about the difference between PTG and PTSD and to provide recommendations for promoting PTG in clients receiving treatment for PTSD.
Following adverse life events, many people report positive outcomes, sometimes referred to as benefit finding and growth (or BFG). Some people experience a new appreciation of their own strength and resilience or an increased self-reliance. Others describe strengthened relationships and increased closeness with others, greater compassion or altruism, a heightened sense of the fragility of life, or changes in life philosophies and spirituality. This chapter addresses several unresolved issues in the study of BFG, including whether an individual's ability to find benefits in a stressful or traumatic life event is an important contributor to subsequent quality of life and adjustment; how BFG perceptions develop and are maintained over time; shortcomings of current indicators purporting to measure benefits in the context of adversity; future directions for research in this area; and clinical applications of research in BFG. In this chapter, we take a new look at the BFG literature, revisit concerns identified in the first edition of this Handbook, and raise new concerns regarding how BFG is currently assessed and translated into new treatments. We caution against the rush to create interventions to enhance BFG in light of the potential detrimental effects on victimized individuals created by our societal emphasis on the power of positive thinking.
Where Do Clients Invest Their Emotions and Energy in the Time Line of Their Life?The Big Picture-Life ReviewReframing Developmentally Related RelapsesTherapist PreparednessSummary
This article describes the concept of posttraumatic growth, its conceptual foundations, and supporting empirical evidence. Posttraumatic growth is the experience of positive change that occurs as a result of the struggle with highly challenging life crises. It is manifested in a variety of ways, including an increased appreciation for life in general, more meaningful interpersonal relationships, an increased sense of personal strength, changed priorities, and a richer existential and spiritual life. Although the term is new, the idea that great good can come from great suffering is ancient. We propose a model for understanding the process of posttraumatic growth in which individual characteristics, support and disclosure, and more centrally, significant cognitive processing involving cognitive structures threatened or nullified by the traumatic events, play an important role. It is also suggested that posttraumatic growth mutually interacts with life wisdom and the development of the life narrative, and that it is an on-going process, not a static outcome.
Research on the reactions of first responders (e.g., police officers, fire fighters) to traumatic incidents has largely focused on negative symptoms (e.g., posttraumatic stress disorder) rather than aspects promoting mental health. Consistent with the counseling profession's focus on growth and development, this study investigated the relation between mindfulness (using the Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness Skills) and posttraumatic growth (using the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory) among 183 police officers. Results of multiple regression analyses showed that effort toward spiritual growth was positively correlated, and accepting events without judgment was negatively correlated, with posttraumatic growth. Implications for mental health counseling are discussed.
Posttraumatic Growth (PTG) is a positive psychological response to trauma, manifesting as improvements in critical life areas such as relationships, personality, self-efficacy, and spirituality. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder triggered by trauma. In many studies PTG and PTSD are found to stem from similar traumatic events and to be positively correlated. As many of today's veterans are returning with PTSD, it is important that rehabilitation counselors have a strong understanding of how to effectively treat PTSD as well as facilitate PIG in veterans in order to ensure lasting positive effect. After thorough analysis of the PTSD and PTG literature, several treatments were determined to be effective for both the treatment of PTSD and development of PTG in veterans of war. Recommendations for rehabilitation counselors are provided to help recognize and facilitate PIG in veteran clients post-trauma.
An ACT Approach Chapter 1. What is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy? Steven C. Hayes, Kirk D. Strosahl, Kara Bunting, Michael Twohig, and Kelly G. Wilson Chapter 2. An ACT Primer: Core Therapy Processes, Intervention Strategies, and Therapist Competencies. Kirk D. Strosahl, Steven C. Hayes, Kelly G. Wilson and Elizabeth V. Gifford Chapter 3. ACT Case Formulation. Steven C. Hayes, Kirk D. Strosahl, Jayson Luoma, Alethea A. Smith, and Kelly G. Wilson ACT with Behavior Problems Chapter 4. ACT with Affective Disorders. Robert D. Zettle Chapter 5. ACT with Anxiety Disorders. Susan M. Orsillo, Lizabeth Roemer, Jennifer Block-Lerner, Chad LeJeune, and James D. Herbert Chapter 6. ACT with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Alethea A. Smith and Victoria M. Follette Chapter 7. ACT for Substance Abuse and Dependence. Kelly G. Wilson and Michelle R. Byrd Chapter 8. ACT with the Seriously Mentally Ill. Patricia Bach Chapter 9. ACT with the Multi-Problem Patient. Kirk D. Strosahl ACT with Special Populations, Settings, and Methods Chapter 10. ACT with Children, Adolescents, and their Parents. Amy R. Murrell, Lisa W. Coyne, & Kelly G. Wilson Chapter 11. ACT for Stress. Frank Bond. Chapter 12. ACT in Medical Settings. Patricia Robinson, Jennifer Gregg, JoAnne Dahl, & Tobias Lundgren Chapter 13. ACT with Chronic Pain Patients. Patricia Robinson, Rikard K. Wicksell, Gunnar L. Olsson Chapter 14. ACT in Group Format. Robyn D. Walser and Jacqueline Pistorello
People commonly experience positive psychological changes after adversity, but little is known about how this growth happens. We propose that engagement with new possibilities – seeing ‘doors opening’ in the wake of loss – is key in this process. We hypothesized that people would report greater growth if they saw new possibilities in the aftermath of adversity. We also predicted that unless people had engaged with new possibilities, they would report greater deterioration when adversity disrupted their core beliefs. A diverse group of adults (N = 276) from the US and India participated in a cross-sectional online study. Individuals experienced more growth if they had experienced more core belief disruption and more engagement with new possibilities. Engagement partially mediated the relationship between core belief disruption and growth. Engagement may also buffer against deterioration when core beliefs are disrupted. We conclude that pursuing new opportunities may be a crucial step in growth.
In 1973 I took a job at MIT,working for the then new President and Chancellor. I was charged, among other things, with learning how the workplace could improve with respect to people who were underrepresented at MIT-as examples, men and women of color and white women, and people with disabilities. MAJOR ISSUES Asan economist I had expected to learn about big issuesstanding in the way of progress for "non traditional" people. Working together with others, I did find some. For example we looked at the pension plan, a plan that paid benefits unequally for men and women with the same record of service. (Senior officers at MIT changed the plan in a way that ben efited both women and men). I helped a working group to design Serious Search recruitment proce dures, procedures that turned out to help people of color-and, of course, also Caucasians. We looked at supports for dependent care that were needed by women-which of course illuminated the fact that men also needed support for dependent care.We helped with campus maps, and ramps, and lifts for those who needed them, and learned of course that they helped everyone. I learned what everyone now knows-that equitable work structures usually help everyone. LITTLE ISSUES In addition I noticed the importance of "little issues:'Little acts of disrespect, and failures in perfor mance feedback, seemed to corrode some profes sional relationships like bits of sand and ice."Little issues"included names mistakenly left off a list, people who were not introduced at meetings, (or mistakenly introduced as someone else of the same race). I learned of inequitable job assignments, failures to provide schedules or food or space that were needed by a particular group, invitations that were uncomfort able for gays,or women, or non-Christians ("Please feel free to bring your wife;""There will be a belly dancer at the party;""Please join us to celebrate Christmas").There were ugly cartoons that attacked certain groups, and jokes that made fun of different cultures or of disabilities. Sometimes I would hear a presumption that someone of a certain gender or race or religion could do some task better-which then often led to selective perceptions favoring an already favored group.
International students on the American college campus are a diverse and increasing population whose unique concerns are traditionally overlooked. However, given the evidence that the demands for cultural adjustments frequently place international students at greater risk for various psychological problems than are students in general, it is important that sufficient and readily accessible mental health services be established for them. This article examines the sources of international students' psychological concerns, the reasons for their notable underutilization of existing counseling services, and the ways to provide more culturally sensitive services.
This meta-analytic review examines the role of optimism, social support, and coping strategies in contributing to posttraumatic growth. Results from 103 studies showed that all three systems of variables yielded significant effect sizes. Religious coping and positive reappraisal coping produced the largest effect sizes. Social support, seeking social support coping, spirituality, and optimism were moderately related to posttraumatic growth. Acceptance coping yielded the smallest effect sizes. Moderator analyses showed that effect sizes did not differ according to time elapsed since trauma, gender, and type of posttraumatic growth measure (posttraumatic growth vs. benefit finding). Age and gender were significant moderators of religious coping, whereas study design (longitudinal vs. cross-sectional) significantly moderated the effect of positive reappraisal coping. Implications for research and interventions on posttraumatic growth are also discussed.
Hope is defined as the perceived capability to derive pathways to desired goals, and motivate oneself via agency thinking to use those pathways. The adult and child hope scales that are derived from hope theory are described. Hope theory is compared to theories of learned optimism, optimism, self-efficacy, and self-esteem. Higher hope consistently is related to better outcomes in academics, athletics, physical health, psychological adjustment, and psychotherapy. Processes that lessen hope in children and adults are reviewed. Using the hope theory definition, no evidence is found for "false" hope. Future research is encouraged in regard to accurately enhancing hope in medical feedback and helping people to pursue those goals for which they are best suited.
We hope that we have presented information in a way that is accessible to clinicians, laypersons, and . . . other people who have experienced trauma. We have also tried to summarize a far-flung literature and describe a way of understanding the process of growth that will encourage more attention from researchers. In addition, we believe that this book can be used as a supplementary text in courses on human development, crisis intervention, and introductory courses in counseling and psychotherapy. It is also our hope that this book will be useful as a resource for helping professionals in a variety of disciplines, including psychology, social work, psychiatry, family counseling, human services, nursing, and sociology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
This study examined mechanisms through which acculturation influenced psychosocial adjustment of Chinese international students. Specifically, these mechanisms refer to the mediating and moderating effects of social interaction and social connectedness with host nationals upon the acculturation–adjustment linkages. Chinese international students from four universities in Texas responded to a web-based survey (N = 508). Results from regression analyses showed social connectedness with Americans mediated the links between adherence to the host culture (acculturation dimension) and psychosocial adjustment (i.e., depression and sociocultural adjustment difficulties). Social interaction with Americans moderated the association between adherence to the home culture (acculturation dimension) and depression. We discussed implications for theory and health promotion practice, and presented directions for future research.Research highlights▶ Social connectedness with Americans mediated the links between adherence to the host culture and psychosocial adjustments. ▶ Social connectedness with Americans also had a large independent association with both psychosocial adjustments. ▶ Social interaction with Americans moderated the association between adherence to the home culture and depression.
Quantitative research has shown Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) programmes can reduce mood disturbance, improve quality of life, and decrease stress symptoms of cancer patients. However, the range of subjective effects experienced by programme participants has not been clearly described. Nine cancer patients who had participated in an 8-week MBSR programme through the Tom Baker Cancer Centre's Department of Psychosocial Resources, and who continued to attend weekly drop-in MBSR sessions were interviewed for this study. Qualitative research was conducted using grounded theory analysis. Data from semi-structured interviews and a focus group were analysed using QSR N6 software to identify themes concerning the effects patients experienced by adding meditation to their lives. Five major themes emerged from the data: (1) opening to change; (2) self-control; (3) shared experience; (4) personal growth; (5) spirituality. This information was used to develop specific theory concerning mechanisms whereby MBSR effects change for cancer patients. These understandings may be used to refine and further develop MBSR programmes to better assist patients during cancer diagnosis, treatment and recovery. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
This article opens by noting that positive emotions do not fit existing models of emotions. Consequently, a new model is advanced to describe the form and function of a subset of positive emotions, including joy, interest, contentment, and love. This new model posits that these positive emotions serve to broaden an individual's momentary thought-action repertoire, which in turn has the effect of building that individual's physical, intellectual, and social resources. Empirical evidence to support this broaden-and-build model of positive emotions is reviewed, and implications for emotion regulation and health promotion are discussed.
In the past decade a wealth of research has been conducted on the cultural foundation of the self-concept, particularly with respect to East Asian and North American selves. The present paper discusses how the self differs across these two cultural contexts, particularly with respect to an emphasis on consistency versus flexibility, an intraindividual versus an extraindividual focus, the malleability of the self versus world, the relation of self to others, and self-enhancing versus self-critical motivations. These differences reveal the manifold ways that culture shapes the self.
Many studies have demonstrated the efficacy of exposure therapy in the treatment of chronic post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Despite the convincing outcome literature, a concern that this treatment may exacerbate symptoms and lead to premature dropout has been voiced on the basis of a few reports. In this paper, we examined the hypothesis that treatments that include exposure will be associated with a higher dropout rate than treatments that do not include exposure. A literature search identified 25 controlled studies of cognitive-behavioral treatment for PTSD that included data on dropout. The results indicated no difference in dropout rates among exposure therapy, cognitive therapy, stress inoculation training, and EMDR. These findings are consistent with previous research about the tolerability of exposure therapy.