|
...cardiovascular disease. results did not support the original 5-component structure. Further work the content and structure of the PTGI is warranted.
**********
Adverse life events of varying degrees of severity experienced by individuals have resulted in a variety of sequelae, both positive and negative. The study of positive psychological consequences arising specifically as a result of persons coping with stress is an emerging area of empirical study. Although this notion has been recognized in the psychotherapy literature since Frankl (1969) first discussed the search for meaning and purpose in life as a means to alleviate suffering, the phenomenon of triumph over tragedy has more recently been defined and measured as posttraumatic growth (Tedeschi & Calhoun, 1996). Posttraumatic growth (PTG) represents a shift in perception, knowledge, and/or skill that may occur in survivors who begin to accommodate the effects of a traumatic event, enabling them to recognize positive changes in their interpersonal relationships, in their perceptions of themselves, and/or in their philosophy of life (Tedeschi, Park, & Calhoun, 1998). PTG has been found in a wide variety of contexts, including bereavement (Calhoun & Tedeschi, 1989-1990) and rape (Burt & Katz, 1987), as well as in medical populations, such as stroke victims (Thompson, 1991), parents of hospitalized infants (Affleck, Tennen, & Rowe, 1991), and heart patients (Affleck, Tennen, Croog, & Levine, 1987).
Prior to the development of a validated instrument with which to measure PTG (Tedeschi & Calhoun, 1996), the measurement of positive sequelae relied on subjective evaluations of well-being or on qualitative data collection methods such as clinical interviews, as in the studies cited above. More systematic measures of PTG have enjoyed a relatively short history, and the development of the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI; Tedeschi & Calhoun, 1996) in 1996 has enabled researchers to measure this construct empirically. Since that time, this phenomenon has been studied in college students (Calhoun, Cann, Tedeschi, & McMillan, 2000), breast cancer survivors (Cordova, Cunningham, Carlson, & Andrykowski, 2001; Weiss, 2002), adolescents (Milam, Ritt-Olson, & Unger, 2004), holocaust child survivors (Lev-Wiesel & Amir, 2003), and in adult former refugees and displaced people in Sarajevo (Powell, Rosner, Butollo, Tedeschi, & Calhoun, 2003). These studies have shed some light on the correlates and predictors of PTG. For example, growth has been shown to be associated with event-related rumination in college students who have experienced a trauma (e.g., Calhoun et al., 2000), with talking about cancer (e.g., Cordova et al., 2001), and with lower levels of substance abuse in adolescents (Milam et al., 2004). The relationship between PTG and social support has been investigated, with one study finding no relation (Cordova et al., 2001), whereas another found growth to be significantly predicted by social support from friends (Lev-Wiesel & Amir, 2003).
The relationships between PTG (as measured by the PTGI) and personality variables were investigated by Tedeschi and Calhoun (1996), who reported that growth was positively correlated with optimism, religiosity, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness. Tedeschi and Calhoun also reported that women tended to score higher than men on the PTGI, and Powell et al. (2003) supported this finding. On the other hand, no differences in PTG were found between men and women in the studies of Milam et al. (2004) and Polatinsky and Esprey (2000). Findings regarding the relationship between PTG and age are unclear--Milam et al. found growth to be higher among older individuals, whereas Polatinsky and Esprey found growth to be higher among younger individuals, and Powell et al. found no difference.
The purpose of the current study is to reexamine the component structure of scores on the PTGI using a sample that was significantly different from the original validation sample on the variables of gender and age, while controlling for type of adversity. The adversity selected for this purpose--cardiovascular disease--is a common one in both the United States and the United Kingdom, and it is a disease with significant psychological consequences.
The leading cause of death for women and men in the United States and in the United Kingdom is cardiovascular disease (American Heart Association, 2005; British Heart Foundation, 2002). For the approximately 20% of the U.S. population living with cardiovascular disease, however, PTG is an important construct to explore. The popular literature is replete with anecdotes about how illnesses become life-changing experiences, but empirical studies of meaning making and renewed purpose following critical illness are lacking. As medical treatment extends life for people diagnosed with severe illness, the issues of growth that can result from an individual dealing with the adversity of illnes and the measurement of this growth become increasingly salient from a human and economic perspective.
The PTGI (Tedeschi & Calhoun, 1996) assesses levels of PTG in adults who have experienced traumatic events. The original validation sample consisted of 604 undergraduate students (405 women, 199 men, ages 17-25 years) who had experienced a significant negative life event during the past 5 years. Such life events included bereavement (36%), injury-producing accidents (16%), separation or divorce of parents (8%), relationship breakup (7%), criminal victimization (5%), academic problems (4%), unwanted pregnancy (2%), and a variety of other exposures unspecified by Tedeschi and Calhoun. The authors reported the internal consistency of the scores...
NOTE: All illustrations and photos
have been removed from this article.
More articles from Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development
Fears of children in the United States: an examination of the American..., July 01, 2005
The multidimensional Inventory of Black Identity: its use with Euro-Am..., July 01, 2005
The Reading Essential Skills Screener-Elementary Version (RESS-E): stu..., July 01, 2005
Using the Origin and Pawn, Positive Affect, CASPM, and Cognitive Anxie..., July 01, 2005
Looking for additional articles?
Search our database of over 3 million articles.
Looking for more in-depth information on this industry?
Search our complete database of Industry & Market reports by text, subject, publication
name or publication date.
About Goliath
Whether you're looking for sales prospects, competitive information, company
analysis or best practices in managing your organization,
Goliath can help you meet your business needs.
Our extensive business information databases empower business
professionals with both the breadth and depth of credible,
authoritative information they need to support their business
goals. Whether it be strategic planning, sales prospecting,
company research or defining management best practices -
Goliath is your leading source for accurate information.
|
%20%20&position=1)