Posttraumatic Growth in the Aftermath of Trauma: A Literature Review About Related Factors and Application Contexts

Aim: In the face of one traumatic event, individuals may perceive, along with the inherent negative responses, a number of positive changes, which reveal posttraumatic growth. This concept has increased its expression in literature over the years, and it has been recognized that people exposed to highly traumatic events, such as bereavement, war combat, disasters, disease or other stressful or life-threatening events, may perceive positive changes from the struggling with those events. Thus, this literature review aims at exploring the definition of posttraumatic growth, associated factors and application contexts. Method and Results: Electronic databases were used to search the relevant literature. Based on the analysis of empirical data, were found several studies that demonstrated a range of factors, such as distress, personality characteristics, self-disclosure, coping, social support, environmental characteristics, assumptive world, rumination, spirituality and optimism, that have contributed to the development of posttraumatic growth; however, some relationships remain inconclusive. Conclusion: Further research is required, to clarify the genesis and the development of posttraumatic growth, also, to extend the posttraumatic growth studies in health context, encompassing the patient as well as family and social network. peerReviewed publishedVersion

研究目的：个体遭遇单次创伤性事件时，除产生固有负面反应外，还可能感知到诸多积极变化，此即创伤后成长（posttraumatic growth）。多年来，该概念在学术文献中的提及率持续攀升；学界业已达成共识，经历丧亲、战场作战、灾难、疾病或其他应激性、致命性创伤事件的个体，在与此类事件抗争的过程中可感知到积极改变。据此，本文献综述旨在探讨创伤后成长的定义、相关影响因素及应用场景。
研究方法与结果：本研究通过电子数据库检索相关文献。基于实证数据分析，多项研究表明，痛苦程度、人格特质、自我表露、应对方式、社会支持、环境特征、预设世界观、反刍思维、灵性信仰与乐观倾向等诸多因素，均可推动创伤后成长的形成；但部分相关关联仍未得出定论。
研究结论：未来仍需开展进一步研究，以明确创伤后成长的成因与发展机制，并拓展其在健康领域的研究范畴，涵盖患者、家属及社会支持网络等研究对象。本综述为经同行评审的正式发表版本。