The posttraumatic growth inventory-short form (PTGI-SF): A psychometric study of the spanish population during the COVID-19 pandemic

A Retrospective Study on the Effect of Empowerment Psychological Intervention Led by Specialist Nurses on Post-traumatic Stress Disorder in ICU Patients

BACKGROUND

Many patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which seriously affects the treatment, recovery, and prognosis of patients.

OBJECTIVE

To observe the effect of empowerment psychological intervention on the status of PTSD in ICU patients.

METHODS

A total of 86 patients with PTSD who were treated in ICU from July 2019 to December 2021 were divided into two groups according to the intervention method. The control group (n = 43) used routine psychological intervention, while the intervention group (n = 43) used empowerment psychological intervention led by specialist nurses. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used to assess the sleep quality of the patients. The Resilience Questionnaire (CD-RISC) was used to evaluate the resilience of the patients, and the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Self-Rating Scale (PTSD-SS) was used to assess the severity of the symptoms. The Hamilton Anxiety and Depression Inventory (HAMA and HAMD) was adapted to assess the degree of anxiety and depression, and the Post-Traumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI) was adapted to evaluate the post-traumatic growth of the patients.

RESULTS

After the intervention, the total CD-RISC score and its tenacity, self-improvement, and optimism scores in the two groups were all higher than before, and the total PSQI score and its sleep quality, time, efficiency and impairment, as well as hypnotic drugs, daytime dysfunction and time to sleep were lower than before, and the CD-RISC score in the intervention group was higher than that in the control group, PSQI score was lower than that in the control group (p < 0.05). After the intervention, PTSD-SS scores and anxiety-depression scores were lower, and PTGI scores were higher in both groups than before (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

The empowerment psychological intervention led by specialist nurses applied to ICU patients with PTSD can improve their psychological resilience and sleep quality, reduce negative emotions, alleviate clinical symptoms, and promote post-traumatic growth.

The religious faith item of the Spanish Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI) and its Short Form (PTGI-SF): challenges and solutions

Background: The Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI) and its Short Form (PTGI-SF) are two instruments highly used in research on posttraumatic growth. They include a religious growth item that has been demonstrated to be problematic in cultures that are not very religious. Previous research has addressed this issue in other countries, but no attention has been paid to this critical problem in Spanish samples.Objective: Our aim is to address the psychometric issues presented by the religious growth item in Spain.Method: To do so, we reviewed several studies conducted with various populations in Spain.Results: The scores of the religious growth item in Spain present very low means and standard deviations, as well as high skewness and kurtosis, all of which point to a floor effect. The item scores show low item-test correlations, and it has failed to load on a specific dimension in factor analyses, thus casting doubts about its validity.Conclusions: The inventory does not seem to work properly in its current form in Spain. The inappropriateness of the item measuring religious growth in Spain may be due to cultural reasons. We recommend using the PTGI expanded version (PTGI-X) instead of the PTGI and exploring the possible substitution of the religious growth item in the PTGI-SF for an alternative item. In both cases, ascertaining the psychometric properties of the scores in Spain will be necessary.

Validation of the Post-Traumatic Growth Inventory in Adolescents Who Lost a Family Member in the Past 4 years: Effects of Time After the Death Event and Gender

Post-traumatic growth is the psychological capacity to perceive positive changes facing high-stress or potentially traumatic events and may be especially useful in lessening their effects in adolescents' lives. Present study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Post-Traumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI) in 662 Peruvian adolescents who suffered the death of an immediate family member over the last 4 years. Firstly, an exploratory graphical analysis (EGA) was conducted to determine the best parsimonious structure of the instrument and confirmed with its respective factor models. The results report adequate fit indices in the EGA Bifactor model. Furthermore, another structural model is included, which reports significant latent effects of the time elapsed since the relative's death and gender (male) on PTGI general factor. Likewise, gender measure was significantly related to items 3, 7, and 11, which is linked to personal growth.

Therapeutic interventions impact brain function and promote post-traumatic growth in adults living with post-traumatic stress disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis of functional magnetic resonance imaging studies

Introduction

The present systematic review and meta-analysis explores the impacts of cognitive processing therapy (CPT), eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), and prolonged exposure (PE) therapy on neural activity underlying the phenomenon of post-traumatic growth for adult trauma survivors.

Methods

We utilized the following databases to conduct our systematic search: Boston College Libraries, PubMed, MEDLINE, and PsycINFO. Our initial search yielded 834 studies for initial screening. We implemented seven eligibility criteria to vet articles for full-text review. Twenty-nine studies remained for full-text review after our systematic review process was completed. Studies were subjected to several levels of analysis. First, pre-and post- test post-traumatic growth inventory (PTGI) scores were collected from all studies and analyzed through a forest plot using Hedges' g. Next, Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI) coordinates and t-scores were collected and analyzed using an Activation Likelihood Estimation (ALE) to measure brain function. T-scores and Hedges' g values were then analyzed using Pearson correlations to determine if there were any relationships between brain function and post-traumatic growth for each modality. Lastly, all studies were subjected to a bubble plot and Egger's test to assess risk of publication bias across the review sample.

Results

Forest plot results indicated that all three interventions had a robust effect on PTGI scores. ALE meta-analysis results indicated that EMDR exhibited the largest effect on brain function, with the R thalamus (t = 4.23, p < 0.001) showing robust activation, followed closely by the R precuneus (t = 4.19, p < 0.001). Pearson correlation results showed that EMDR demonstrated the strongest correlation between increased brain function and PTGI scores (r = 0.910, p < 0.001). Qualitative review of the bubble plot indicated no obvious traces of publication bias, which was corroborated by the results of the Egger's test (p = 0.127).

Discussion

Our systematic review and meta-analysis showed that CPT, EMDR, and PE each exhibited a robust effect on PTG impacts across the course of treatment. However, when looking closer at comparative analyses of neural activity (ALE) and PTGI scores (Pearson correlation), EMDR exhibited a more robust effect on PTG impacts and brain function than CPT and PE.

Trajectories of Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms Among Young Adults Exposed to a Typhoon: A Three-Wave Longitudinal Study

Objective: We used a latent class growth model to identify distinct PTSS trajectories and correlates of these trajectories among young adults who experienced Typhoon Hato, the strongest storm to strike China in the last 50 years. Methods: A longitudinal survey (three-waves) was conducted to explore the mental health status and its correlates among young adults exposed to the typhoon. Data from 362 participants were analyzed via a latent class growth model and multinomial logistic regression. Results: Three distinct classes of PTSS trajectories were identified, including: "resilience" (86.46%), "recovery" (9.12%), and "deterioration" (4.42%). The higher levels of direct typhoon exposure, media use, and posttraumatic growth significantly predicted the higher likelihood of participants being in the "recovery'' class. In addition, more social support significantly predicted the higher possibility of being in the "resilience" class. Finally, more severe depressive and anxiety symptoms significantly predicted the higher likelihood of being in the "deterioration" class. Conclusion: Further research should develop interventions to enhance protective factors (e.g., posttraumatic growth, media use), decrease risk factors (e.g., depressive and anxiety symptoms), and thereby prevent PTSS.

The Value of Contemplative Practices: A Mixed Methods Approach Exploring Associations between Resilience and Experiences of the COVID-19 Pandemic among Older Adults

The aim of this study was to explore the association between resilience and experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic among older adults. We used a sequential explanatory mixed methods study design to recruit older adults who spoke English and were 60 and above during the pandemic. Survey data investigated older adults' resilience, post-traumatic growth, well-being, and demographics. Extreme case purposeful sampling of their resilience score was used to select interviewees. Qualitative data sought to understand the relationship between resilience and how older adults responded to the COVID-19 pandemic. Exploring the relationship between resilience (well-being in the face of challenge) and one's experience of the COVID-19 pandemic revealed that participants categorized as having high resilience had long held behaviors of contemplative practices that helped them effectively adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic. As we continue to face global challenges, we must redefine care, guide interventions, and promote healthy aging by incorporating contemplative practices into the lives of older adults.

Prediction of post-traumatic growth in the face of the COVID-19 crisis based on resilience, post-traumatic stress and social participation: A longitudinal study

The COVID-19 crisis has generated a severe and negative psychological impact worldwide. Despite this, it is also possible to experience post-traumatic growth (PTG). This study aimed to longitudinally explore the prevalence of PTG in the Spanish population and test a predictive model for PTG from resilience, post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), and participation in social activities. Data were collected longitudinally in March, July, and November 2020 via an online survey. About 20% of the sample showed moderate-high levels of PTG, with no significant differences over time. The predictive model explained 19% of the variance in PTG, showing that the inverse relation between resilience and PTG was mediated by PTSS. Additionally, participation in social activities acted as a predictor of PTG. Women, young people, those who had lost their job and people who had experienced COVID-19 symptoms or the loss of a loved one presented higher PTG. Thus, people have experienced positive changes (PTG), but these did not protect them from adverse symptomatology (PTSS).