Posttraumatic growth-oriented training among U.S. veterans : evaluation of post-intervention and long-term follow-up outcomes.
| dc.contributor.advisor | Elkins, Gary Ray, 1952- | |
| dc.creator | Rhodes, Joshua R., 1996- | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2024-07-17T13:34:31Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2024-07-17T13:34:31Z | |
| dc.date.created | 2023-08 | |
| dc.date.issued | 2023-08 | |
| dc.date.submitted | August 2023 | |
| dc.date.updated | 2024-07-17T13:34:32Z | |
| dc.description.abstract | Exposure to trauma among U.S. military veterans occurs at a high rate, often resulting in continued difficulty with emotional adjustment and a diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Most critically, these difficulties manifest themselves in the approximated 17.2 veteran deaths by suicide each day. There is a need for treatment that engages individuals, provides impactful and lasting effects, and addresses the existential issues that veterans face. Current recommended treatments include manualized, trauma-focused psychotherapies such as prolonged exposure therapy (PE) and cognitive processing therapy (CPT), non-trauma-focused therapies such as stress inoculation training, and a few pharmaceutical treatments such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Despite much evidence for their benefit in symptom reduction, many veterans continue to experience difficulties with existential issues that fall outside the narrow category of PTSD symptomatology. The theory of posttraumatic growth provides a novel approach to dealing with the aftermath of trauma and embraces the capacity for positive psychological growth following such experiences. Training in posttraumatic growth refers to a meaning-making process that reflects a positive adaptation to a traumatic life event. The growth and adaptation occur when individuals seek to reconcile the experienced trauma with their existing belief system. This study presents data from 719 U.S. military veterans who completed a posttraumatic-growth oriented training program. Outcomes related to psychological growth and symptomatology reduction are reported. Analyses of post-intervention data indicate significant increases in all growth-related outcomes and significant decreases in all symptomatology-related outcomes. Analyses of long-term data indicate that all changes in growth-related outcomes were maintained at an 18-month follow-up assessment. Further, all changes in symptomatology-related outcomes, apart from anxiety and negative affect, were also maintained at follow-up. There was no significant difference between male and female participant scores at post-intervention or follow-up, indicating both male and female veterans likely experience comparable benefit from such a training program. Together, these findings highlight the immediate and lasting impact of a posttraumatic growth-oriented training program on aiding in psychological growth and symptom reduction among U.S. military veterans. | |
| dc.format.mimetype | application/pdf | |
| dc.identifier.uri | ||
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/2104/12765 | |
| dc.language.iso | English | |
| dc.rights.accessrights | No access – contact librarywebmaster@baylor.edu | |
| dc.title | Posttraumatic growth-oriented training among U.S. veterans : evaluation of post-intervention and long-term follow-up outcomes. | |
| dc.type | Thesis | |
| dc.type.material | text | |
| local.embargo.lift | 2028-08-01 | |
| local.embargo.terms | 2028-08-01 | |
| thesis.degree.department | Baylor University. Dept. of Psychology & Neuroscience. | |
| thesis.degree.grantor | Baylor University | |
| thesis.degree.name | Ph.D. | |
| thesis.degree.program | Psychology | |
| thesis.degree.school | Baylor University |
Files
License bundle
1 - 1 of 1