Statement of Problem: Numerous mental health issues frequently occur as a result of traumatic situations. According to earlier research, trauma increases the risk of developing anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (Tsai et al., 2016). People with military backgrounds are especially concerned because of how closely their experiences are tied to violent incidents (Tsai et al., 2015). Positive psychological development may be necessary for successful recovery, according to research on posttraumatic growth (PTG) (Tedeschi et al., 2018). Additionally, it has been recognized that veterans, because of the particularity of their experience, are particularly susceptible to PTG success (Na et al., 2021). However, it is still unknown how PTG facilitation variables relate to veteran populations.
Methods: Theory and Conceptual Framework
Theory Framework: The purpose of this dissertation is to investigate the relationships between PTG, PTSD, and sociodemographic characteristics in veteran populations (Palmer et al., 2017). Numerous mental health issues frequently occur as a result of traumatic situations. According to Tsai et al. (2015) believed that people with military backgrounds are especially concerned because of how closely their experiences are tied to violent incidents.
Conceptual Framework: It is recognized that veterans, because of the particularity of their experience, are particularly susceptible to PTG success (Na et al., 2021). Positive psychological development may be necessary for successful recovery, according to research on posttraumatic growth (PTG) (Tedeschi et al., 2018).
Research Question/Hypothesis
- RQ1: This study’s primary objective is to describe the prevalence of PTG globally and within each of the five areas.
- RQ2: The second objective is to define the nature of the relationship, whether linear or non-linear, between PTG and PTSD symptoms in veterans (Pietrzak et al., 2021).
- RQ3: The third goal is to identify the socioeconomic, physical, and psychological conditions that are linked to PTG.
- RQ4: Determination if PTSD and PTG are linked to more excellent performance than PTSD-PTG is the fourth goal.
- RQ5: Evaluating whether PTSD and PTG combination is related to higher functioning in contrast to PTSD symptoms present alone may be another topic of study (Hijazi et al., 2015).
- H1: There is a direct correlation between PTG and PTSD (Mark et al., 2018).
- H2: There is no direct correlation between PTG and PTSD.
- H3: Trauma severity affects a person’s mental and physical health critically (Greenberg et al., 2021).
- H4: Trauma severity does not affect a person’s psychological and physical health critically.
Methodology
RQ1 will explore the prevalence of PTG globally and within five specific areas. It will be assessed using the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory-Short Form.
RQ2 will explore the relationship between PTG and PTSD symptoms, whether linear or non-linear. Level of PTG and Level of PTSG are variables and will be obtained with T-Test.
RQ3 will examine conditions that are linked to PTG. Level of PTG is key variable and will be analyzed using the Cronbach Alpha.
RQ4 will explore the determination if PTG and PTSD are linked to more excellent performance. Level of PTG and Level of PTSG are variables and will be obtained with T-Test.
RQ5 will evaluate whether PTSD and PTG combination is related to higher functioning in contrast to PTSD symptoms. Level of PTG and Level of PTSG are variables and will be obtained with T-Test.
Measures: Key Variables
Veterans: In the current study, only those veterans who reported exposure to at least one potentially traumatic event on the Life Events Checklist for DSM-5 were included (n=3,764; 92.5% of the total sample) (Armour et al., 2015).
PTG: Posttraumatic growth was assessed using the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory-Short Form.
PTSD: PTSD symptoms, PTSD diagnosis, how PTSD measures in NHRVS.
Data
Data from the 2019–2020 National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study (NHRVS), which polled 4,069 former members of the United States armed forces, were evaluated. The KnowledgePanel®, a survey research panel of more than 50,000 homes managed by the research company Ipsos, served as the source for the NHRVS sample. National sample members are used to choosing panelists, initially by phone and now nearly exclusively by postal mail. Ipsos calculated post-stratification weights using the benchmark U.S. veteran ranges shown below to allow generalization of the results to the entire veteran community from the most recent current veteran population supplemental survey of the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey: age, gender, race/ethnicity, metropolitan status, education, household income, a branch of service, and years in service. An iterative proportional fitting procedure was used to produce the final post-stratification weights. All participants provided informed consent, and the study was approved by the Human Subjects Subcommittee of the V.A. Connecticut Healthcare System.
The implication to Social Work: This research will promote the areas of social work education, coping with trauma, and clinical social work.
References
Armour, C., Tsai, J., Durham, T. A., Charak, R., Biehn, T. L., Elhai, J. D., & Pietrzak, R. H. (2015). Dimensional structure of DSM-5 posttraumatic stress symptoms: Support for a hybrid Anhedonia and Externalizing Behaviors model. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 61, 106–113. Web.
Greenberg, J., Tsai, J., Southwick, S. M., & Pietrzak, R. H. (2021). Can military trauma promote psychological growth in combat veterans? Results from the national health and resilience in veterans study. Journal of Affective Disorders, 282, 732–739. Web.
Hijazi, A. M., Keith, J. A., & O’Brien, C. (2015). Predictors of posttraumatic growth in a multi-war sample of U.S. Combat veterans. Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology, 21(3), 395–408. Web.
Mark, K. M., Stevelink, S. A. M., Choi, J., & Fear, N. T. (2018). Posttraumatic growth in the military: A systematic review. Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 75(12), 904–915. Web.
Na, P. J., Tsai, J., Southwick, S. M., & Pietrzak, R. H. (2021). Factors associated with posttraumatic growth in response to the COVID-19 pandemic: Results from a national sample of U.S. military veterans. Social Science & Medicine (1982), 289. Web.
Palmer, E., Murphy, D., & Spencer-Harper, L. (2017). Experience of posttraumatic growth in U.K. veterans with PTSD: A qualitative study. Journal of the Royal Army Medical Corps, 163(3), 171–176. Web.
Pietrzak, R. H., Tsai, J., & Southwick, S. M. (2021). Association of Symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder With Posttraumatic Psychological Growth Among U.S. Veterans During the COVID-19 Pandemic. JAMA Network Open, 4(4). Web.
Tedeschi, R. G., Shakespeare-Finch, J., Taku, K., & Calhoun, L. G. (2018). Posttraumatic growth: Theory, research, and applications. Routledge.
Tsai, J., El-Gabalawy, R., Sledge, W. H., Southwick, S. M., & Pietrzak, R. H. (2015). Posttraumatic growth among veterans in the USA: Results from the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study. Psychological Medicine, 45(1), 165–179. Web.
Tsai, J., Mota, N. P., Southwick, S. M., & Pietrzak, R. H. (2016). What does not kill you makes you stronger: A national study of U.S. military veterans. Journal of Affective Disorders, 189, 269–271. Web.