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Unstable Perceived Posttraumatic Changes Among College Students With Childhood Maltreatment Experiences
Liying Zhang1, Luming Liu1, Peizhong Wang1
1Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education (Beijing Normal University), Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China.
Summary
Posttraumatic changes in college students with childhood maltreatment are unstable. Shifts in posttraumatic growth and depreciation did not fully predict changes in psychological distress symptoms.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Trauma Studies
- Developmental Psychology
Background:
- Perceived posttraumatic changes, including posttraumatic growth (PTG) and posttraumatic depreciation (PTD), are known to be heterogeneous and unstable.
- Childhood maltreatment experiences can significantly impact an individual's psychological trajectory.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the transitions in PTG and PTD among Chinese college students with childhood maltreatment experiences.
- To examine the predictors and outcomes of these transitions from a person-centred perspective.
Main Methods:
- Utilized online self-report questionnaires for 2366 Chinese college students with childhood maltreatment experiences.
- Analyzed shifts in perceived posttraumatic change group affiliations over a 6-month period.
Main Results:
- 46.07% of students experienced shifts in their PTG/PTD group affiliation within 6 months.
- Transitions were influenced by childhood maltreatment severity and recent life events (positive/negative).
- Shifts in PTG/PTD did not consistently predict changes in depressive, anxiety, or complex posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms.
Conclusions:
- Perceived posttraumatic changes in this population are heterogeneous and unstable, necessitating a focus on both growth and depreciation.
- Identifying truly restorative transitions requires considering changes in psychological symptom distress alongside PTG/PTD shifts.
- Understanding predictors like childhood maltreatment and life events is crucial for identifying at-risk populations and tailoring interventions.
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