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Posttraumatic growth and posttraumatic distress relationship across time: a change dynamics approach
Charles C Benight1,2, Pascal Deboeck3, Bernard Ricca1
1Lyda Hill Institute for Human Resilience, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, Colorado Springs, CO, USA.
Anxiety, Stress, and Coping
|August 10, 2025
Summary
This study examined how posttraumatic growth and distress change together over time. Findings reveal that the speed and acceleration of growth and distress are linked, offering new insights into trauma recovery.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Trauma Studies
- Longitudinal Research
Background:
- Posttraumatic growth (PTG) research shows mixed results regarding its relationship with posttraumatic distress.
- Limited consensus exists on how PTG and distress interact over time.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the nonlinear relationship between the change dynamics of PTG and posttraumatic distress.
- To investigate the interplay of level, velocity, and acceleration in PTG and distress over time.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study with surveys at baseline, 6 weeks, and 6 months.
- Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) for daily data collection over 1 month.
- Multilevel modeling to analyze change dynamics (level, velocity, acceleration).
Main Results:
- Significant models were found for the level, velocity, and acceleration of distress.
- Velocity and acceleration of PTG were significant predictors in relation to distress dynamics.
- The initial level of PTG was not significant when its velocity and acceleration were considered.
Conclusions:
- The synchronization of change dynamics between PTG and distress provides novel insights into their temporal interrelationship.
- These findings open new research avenues to address the equivocal results in existing literature on posttraumatic growth.
Keywords:
Posttraumatic growthaccelerationlongitudinalnonlinear dynamical systemsposttraumatic distressvelocityMore Related Videos
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