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Nordstrand AE, Bøe HJ, Hjemdal O, Huffman AH, Noll LK, Reichelt JG, Bakker LP, Anyan F. Differences in resilience profiles between military veterans and the general population: An exploratory latent profile analysis using the HUNT-4 survey. Stress Health 2024; 40:e3343. [PMID: 37929999 DOI: 10.1002/smi.3343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2023] [Revised: 09/20/2023] [Accepted: 10/25/2023] [Indexed: 11/07/2023]
Abstract
Using latent profile analyses, the current work investigated levels of adverse childhood experiences, symptoms of anxiety and depression and 3 dimensions of relational promotive factors) to identify resilience profiles in a large general population sample (N = 161,622, mean age = 53.02; SD = 17.80; 56.1% females). We then used the same method to identify the resilience profiles of military veterans (N = 386, mean age = 43.47; SD = 10.08; 9.8% females), all of whom had served in Afghanistan. A four-profile-solution was the best fitting for the general population (High resilient 30%, Moderate resilient 13%, Low resilient 53%, Work/social-based resilience 4%), while a three-profile-solution had the best fit in the veteran cohort (Family-based resilience 28%, Work/social-based resilience 62%, Hardy loners 10%). To ground the identified profiles in occupational function, we also checked how they predicted reports of sleep difficulties, job demand and job control. Despite both samples inhabiting a geographic region known for high socioeconomic similarity among residents, we found marked differences in profile-solutions between the military veterans and the general population. Our findings suggests that resilience profiles are highly influenced by cohort characteristics and the specific resources needed to manage a given stressor load. Accordingly, the generalisability of specific protective factors may be low across distinct cohorts, and reliable findings need to be obtained in specific populations as defined by stressor context, sample characteristics, and relevant outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Espetvedt Nordstrand
- Norwegian Armed Forces, Joint Medical Services, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Psychology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Northern Arizona University (NAU), Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
| | - Hans Jakob Bøe
- Norwegian Armed Forces, Joint Medical Services, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Psychology, University of Oslo (UiO), Oslo, Norway
| | - Odin Hjemdal
- Department of Psychology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway
| | - Ann Hergatt Huffman
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Northern Arizona University (NAU), Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
| | - Laura Katherine Noll
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Northern Arizona University (NAU), Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
| | | | | | - Frederick Anyan
- Department of Psychology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway
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Heřman O, Mac Gillavry DW, Höschlová E, Ullrich D. Character Strengths of Czech Army Excellent Officers as Perceived by Cadets and Soldiers Serving in Reconnaissance Units. Mil Med 2024; 189:683-691. [PMID: 36018722 PMCID: PMC10898925 DOI: 10.1093/milmed/usac253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2022] [Revised: 05/22/2022] [Accepted: 08/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION A deeper understanding of personality specifics in military personnel may increase the efficacy of health care professionals in this field. Changes in modern warfare require army officers to make decisions in complicated situations with increasing levels of autonomy. Character is traditionally regarded as a key quality in these dynamics. However, it remains unclear which character strengths are conducive to effective leadership in the military. The present study aims at mapping Czech Army cadets' and professional soldiers' perceptions of the character strengths of those officers, who they consider the best they served under. The study also examined how these perceptions vary across soldiers at different stages of their careers and how much they overlap with the same soldiers' ratings of their own strengths. In addition, a regression analysis, to outline combinations of strengths for various aspects of character-based leadership, was performed. MATERIALS AND METHODS Respondents (N = 199) were recruited from three different subpopulations of the Czech Army-serving members of two reconnaissance units (N = 38), and 1st (N = 81) and 5th (N = 80) year cadets at the University of Defense. They rated the character strengths of chosen officers and themselves on the Character Strengths Leadership Inventory and the Values in Action Inventory of Strengths Revised. This study was approved by the units' commanding officer and the representatives of the University of Defense. RESULTS Subordinates rated honesty, leadership, perspective, teamwork, fairness, creativity, love of learning, and zest highest in their chosen officers. These officers' mean profiles strongly correlated in all the three groups (rs = .82-.86). The mean correlation between officers' and respondents' self-reported strengths was not strong (rs = .18). Multiple regression models of the perception of an officer's success, success of their team, them as a leadership example, and them as having a good character, most frequently, involved fairness, honesty, kindness, and social intelligence, while forgiveness was negatively associated with these parameters. CONCLUSIONS The present study achieved its aims. First, it suggests the officers' character strengths that tend to be most valued by their subordinates among Czech Army cadets and soldiers serving in reconnaissance units. Second, the strong overlap of best officers' character profiles in all groups suggests that this perception may remain stable throughout a soldier's career. Third, the relationship between chosen officers' and respondents' self-reported strengths was negligible, suggesting that the perception of officer's strengths may not be an individual's projection. Fourth, regression models of character-based leadership proposed a combination of character strengths that may contribute to the officer's perceived efficacy. Compared to other studies, the sample included both cadets and military professionals with a proportional number of females being included. These results imply that health care practitioners working with military clients may benefit from the acknowledgment of their specific character strengths, most notably honesty and fairness, while providing care to this population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ondřej Heřman
- Faculty of Military Leadership, University of Defense, Kounicova 65, 662 10 Brno, Czech Republic
| | | | - Eva Höschlová
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, Charles University, Celetná 20, 110 00 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - David Ullrich
- Faculty of Military Leadership, University of Defense, Kounicova 65, 662 10 Brno, Czech Republic
- University of Defense, Army of the Czech Republic, Kounicova 65, 662 10 Brno, Czech Republic
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Affiliation(s)
- Cavan V Bonner
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Ill
| | - Brent W Roberts
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Ill
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Art Therapy with Military Families: The Animal Strengths and Family Environment Directive. ARTS IN PSYCHOTHERAPY 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.aip.2023.102016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/13/2023]
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Howard C, Overall NC, Sibley CG. Do stressful life events impact long-term well-being? Annual change in well-being following different life events compared to matched controls. Front Psychol 2022; 13:1012120. [PMID: 36275253 PMCID: PMC9583262 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1012120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2022] [Accepted: 09/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Available longitudinal evidence suggests that personal growth following adversity may not be as prevalent as suggested in cross-sectional research. Firm conclusions regarding resiliency versus post-traumatic growth following adverse events are further tempered by the restricted range of outcomes assessed when examining resilience, the focus on specific adverse events or cumulative adversity scores that hinder comparisons between event types, and the relative scarcity of analyses including matched control groups. The current study addresses these gaps by leveraging longitudinal panel data comparing annual change in well-being from 2018 to 2019 for people who experienced a major life stressor relative to propensity score matched controls who did not experience such stressors over the same period. Moreover, independent comparisons are conducted across three distinct event categories: traumatic interpersonal events (N matched pairs = 1,030), job loss (N matched pairs = 1,361), and birth (N matched pairs = 1,225), and five self-reported well-being indicators: life satisfaction, felt belongingness, self-esteem, meaning in life, and gratitude. Results indicate that people's well-being (across all five indicators) remained consistent over the year in independent analyses of samples experiencing each of the three types of events, and did not differ from matched controls. These findings indicate high population levels of psychological resilience, in the sense that people did not decrease in annual well-being following various life events. These findings also fail to detect significant evidence for possible post-traumatic growth, insofar as such growth might relate to a broad range of different aspects of well-being.
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Heintz S, Ruch W. Cross-sectional age differences in 24 character strengths: Five meta-analyses from early adolescence to late adulthood. THE JOURNAL OF POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/17439760.2021.1871938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Sonja Heintz
- Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Willibald Ruch
- Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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Miller-Graff LE. The Multidimensional Taxonomy of Individual Resilience. TRAUMA, VIOLENCE & ABUSE 2022; 23:660-675. [PMID: 33143570 PMCID: PMC8905118 DOI: 10.1177/1524838020967329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Theoretical work in resilience has continuously evolved to inform and respond to advances in empirical work. In order to further scientific inquiry, it must continue to do so. This narrative overview of the field of resilience science focuses on contemporary challenges confronted by theoretical models of individual resilience and proposes a taxonomic structure for resilience-the multidimensional taxonomy of individual resilience (MTIR). The goal of the MTIR is to articulate a systematic framework within which extant theoretical and empirical work can be nested. Consistent with existing work, the MTIR organizes resilience into two primary branches-manifested resilience and generative resilience. These two components are then organized into subdomains that demonstrate evidence of conceptual distinctiveness. The specification of the subdomains in the MTIR draws support from a diverse body of work on resilience across disciplines and in multiple global contexts. The MTIR makes several critical advances, including expanding and refining the definitions and components of resilience in psychology, providing a clearer framework for conceptualizing mixed profiles of resilience, and tempering assumptions regarding the relational dependencies across domains of resilience. Finally, the utility of the MTIR in organizing research in resilience and advancing theory-testing and development is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura E. Miller-Graff
- Department of Psychology, Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, Notre Dame, IN, USA
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Forgeard M, Roepke AM, Atlas S, Bayer-Pacht E, Björgvinsson T, Silvia PJ. Openness to experience is stable following adversity: A case-control longitudinal investigation. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PERSONALITY 2022. [DOI: 10.1177/08902070221076902] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Although many people retrospectively report feeling more open-minded after experiencing highly stressful events, relevant longitudinal studies are scarce and have yielded contradictory findings. The present study used a 12-month longitudinal case-control design to test whether growth in openness (assessed every 4 months using multiple methods) occurs following major stressors, and whether changes relate to clinical symptoms of depression and/or posttraumatic stress. To do so, we compared participants (a) with a recent major stressor and with low symptoms ( n = 66), (b) without a recent major stressor and with low symptoms ( n = 76), and (c) with a recent major stressor and with significant symptoms ( n = 76). Overall, growth curve models showed that group membership was not associated with changes in openness over 12 months for most outcomes. Other variables (e.g., education) predicted changes in openness. This study provides robust evidence that openness to experience is mostly stable following major stressors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie Forgeard
- McLean Hospital & Harvard Medical School, Belmont MA, USA
- William James College, Newton MA, USA
| | | | - Sara Atlas
- New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, New York, NY, USA
| | | | | | - Paul J. Silvia
- University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, USA
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Weststrate NM, Jayawickreme E, Wrzus C. Advancing a Three-Tier Personality Framework for Posttraumatic Growth. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PERSONALITY 2021. [DOI: 10.1177/08902070211062327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Adversity has been assumed to foster positive personality change under certain conditions. In this article, we examine this assumption within the context of the three-tier personality framework integrating traits, characteristic adaptations, and narrative identity to provide a comprehensive understanding of personality growth. We first review findings on how adverse events affect personality on each of these three levels. Second, we summarize knowledge on event-based and person-based predictors of personality change in the face of adversity. Third, we specify affective, behavioral, and cognitive processes that explain personality change across levels of personality. Innovatively, our proposed process model addresses change at all three levels of personality, as well as similarities and differences in processes across the levels. We conclude by discussing unresolved issues, asking critical questions, and posing challenging hypotheses for testing this framework.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nic M. Weststrate
- Department of Educational Psychology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Eranda Jayawickreme
- Department of Psychology & Program for Leadership and Character, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Cornelia Wrzus
- Department of Psychology, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
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10
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Infurna FJ, Luthar SS, Grimm KJ. Investigating Posttraumatic Growth in Midlife Using an Intensive Longitudinal Research Design: Posttraumatic Growth Is Not as Prevalent as Previously Considered. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PERSONALITY 2021. [DOI: 10.1177/08902070211041852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The notion that adversity leads to enduring improvements in psychological functioning carries promise given the diverse adversities individuals confront over their life course. However, research on posttraumatic growth (PTG) has relied on cross-sectional research designs, which severely limit the ability to discern whether growth transpires following adversity. Our goal was to examine whether PTG is possible across a diverse array of outcomes and identify factors that promote PTG. We analyzed data from a longitudinal, prospective study that assessed midlife participants monthly for a period of 2 years. Over the study period, 276 participants experienced a major life stressor, and multiphase multilevel models were used to examine whether PTG transpired in life satisfaction, gratitude, compassion, generativity, meaning-making, and religiosity/spirituality. On average, life satisfaction, generativity, and meaning-making declined following adversity; substantial between-person differences were observed across all outcomes. Our multidimensional approach revealed that, on average, individuals experienced PTG in less than one outcome. More anticipated support and less interpersonal strain were consistently associated with positive functioning in each outcome. Our discussion focuses on how multidimensional approaches to studying PTG promise to disentangle which outcomes potentially grow following adversity and illuminate best research practices for examining PTG, laying the groundwork for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frank J. Infurna
- Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Arizona State University, Tempe, United States
| | | | - Kevin J. Grimm
- Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Arizona State University, Tempe, United States
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11
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Gander F, Wagner L. Character Growth Following Collective Life Events: A Study on Perceived and Measured Changes in Character Strengths During the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PERSONALITY 2021. [DOI: 10.1177/08902070211040975] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Did the COVID-19 pandemic promote character growth? Studies using sequential samples suggest that collective life events can result in character growth, but their conclusions have been questioned. This study used three approaches to examine character growth during the first wave of the pandemic: perceived changes in oneself and in a close other, and a longitudinal analysis of changes. In addition, we tested whether character strengths assessed before the pandemic predicted specific instances of growth, that is, engagement in volunteering and compliance with regulations during the pandemic. German-speaking participants ( N = 366, 76.5% female, mean age: 45.33 years) who had completed an assessment of character strengths before the pandemic reported on perceived changes in character strengths, engagement in volunteering, and compliance with regulations. A subsample also completed a second assessment of character strengths. The results showed that (a) participants reported perceived changes for most character strengths in both themselves and close others, while (b) longitudinal increases were only observed for humility and prudence. Pre-pandemic character strengths predicted (c) engagement in volunteering and (d) compliance with regulations. We conclude that actual character growth was smaller than the perceived changes but that the character strengths did predict relevant behaviors related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabian Gander
- Department of Psychology, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Lisa Wagner
- Department of Psychology, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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12
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Blackie LER, McLean KC. Examining the Longitudinal Associations Between Repeated Narration of Recent Transgressions Within Individuals’ Romantic Relationships and Character Growth in Empathy, Humility, and Compassion. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PERSONALITY 2021. [DOI: 10.1177/08902070211028696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
This prospective longitudinal study examined whether repeated written narration of relational transgressions was associated with increases in empathy, humility, and compassion over 1 year. Although engagement in reflective and meaning-making processing styles has been theorized to facilitate adversarial growth existing research has been limited by methodological issues and has yet to examine whether this mechanism is associated with character trait changes over time. Participants provided ratings of trait empathy, humility, and compassion in 5 waves at 3-month intervals. In Wave 2, participants provided a written narrative describing a recent relational transgression against their romantic partner. Participants then engaged in repeated narration of recent romantic transgressions in Waves 3 through 5. The narratives were coded for redemption, positive self-event connections, and degree of personal responsibility taken. Linear growth curve models were used to examine the extent to which these narrative themes were associated with character growth. Overall, there was little consistent and robust evidence across models that narration was associated with changes in empathy, humility, and compassion. The implications for research into adversarial growth are discussed in reference to the appropriateness of operationalizing adversarial growth as character growth and the extent to which relational transgressions can facilitate adversarial growth.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kate C. McLean
- Department of Psychology, Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington, United States
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13
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Dorfman A, Moscovitch DA, Chopik WJ, Grossmann I. None the wiser: Year-long longitudinal study on effects of adversity on wisdom. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PERSONALITY 2021. [DOI: 10.1177/08902070211014057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Research on consequences of adversity appears inconclusive. Adversity can be detriment to mental health, promoting maladaptive patterns of thoughts. At the same time, posttraumatic growth studies suggest that overcoming major adversity facilitates growth in wisdom-related patterns of thoughts. We address this puzzle by examining how distinct types of adversity impact wisdom over time and how individual differences in self-distanced (rather than self-immersed) reflection on adversity relate to different wisdom trajectories. In a four-wave prospective year-long study, participants ( N = 499) recalled and reflected every three months on the most significant recent adverse event in their life. They reported how much they engaged in wise reasoning—intellectual humility, open-mindedness to diverse perspectives and change, search for compromises and resolution—as well as self-distancing during reflections. Independent raters identified seven distinct adversity types (e.g. social conflict, economic hardship, major trauma) in open-ended descriptions. Growth curve analyses revealed little evidence of positive change in wise-reasoning over the course of a year, and some evidence of negative change for health-related adversity. Although self-distancing was associated with stability in wisdom, self-immersing was associated with negative change in wisdom in reflections on social conflicts over time. We discuss implications these results have for adversity, change vs. resilience in character strengths, and self-distancing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Dorfman
- Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, Canada
| | | | | | - Igor Grossmann
- Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, Canada
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Chopik WJ, Kelley WL, Vie LL, Lester PB, Bonett DG, Lucas RE, Seligman MEP. Individual and experiential predictors of character development across the deployment cycle. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PERSONALITY 2021. [DOI: 10.1177/08902070211012931] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
How soldiers adapt to and change in response to the deployment experience has received a great deal of attention. What predicts which soldiers are resilient and which soldiers decline in character strengths across the deployment transition? We examined this question in two analyses drawing from the same data source of soldiers deploying for the first time (Analysis 1: N = 179,026; Analysis 2: N = 85,285; Mage = 24.6–24.7 years old, SD = 4.87; 66.5–66.9% White). Specifically, we examined how individual (e.g. sociodemographic, military) and deployment (e.g. stressful experiences) characteristics predict character development across the deployment cycle. Character strengths were assessed once before and up to three times after soldiers’ return from deployment. Reproducing previous work, we found evidence for two classes of change—a resilient class (“stable high”) and a recovery class (“persistent low”). The strongest predictor of high, resilient character strength levels was better self-rated health at baseline. The findings are discussed in the context of the mechanisms that drive character development, evidence for post-traumatic growth, and practical implications for the U.S. Army.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Whitney L Kelley
- University of Pennsylvania, USA
- Research Facilitation Laboratory, USA
| | - Loryana L Vie
- University of Pennsylvania, USA
- Research Facilitation Laboratory, USA
| | - Paul B Lester
- Research Facilitation Laboratory, USA
- Naval Postgraduate School, USA
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15
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Chopik WJ, Oh J, Nuttall AK, Thakkar KN, Ingersoll B. Age differences in broader autism phenotype traits from young adulthood to older adulthood. Autism Res 2021; 14:1456-1471. [PMID: 33764656 DOI: 10.1002/aur.2504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2020] [Accepted: 03/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Much of past research has been dedicated to refining the operationalization and correlates of the broader autism phenotype (BAP) and less on how the BAP differs by socio-demographic characteristics, like age-particularly after midlife. This gap is important because other nonclinical trait-like characteristics (e.g., personality) have shown considerable age differences, leading to work assessing the malleability of psychological characteristics and improving outcomes for individuals and their significant others. In the current study, we examined cross-sectional age differences in the BAP in a large sample of adults ranging in age from 18 to 85. We recruited a sample of 2966 adults ranging in age from 18 to 85 (Mage = 36.53, SD = 12.61; 58.9% Female; 1.1% with an ASD diagnosis) recruited from an online survey service. We found that total BAP scores were higher in younger adults and lower among older adults. These differences were particularly true for pragmatic language difficulties, with this component of the BAP showing the most dramatic age differences. Aloofness showed similar negative associations with age, albeit much smaller. Rigidity was not significantly associated with age. The results are consistent with other research showing an abatement of symptoms among individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) across early life and theories predicting changes in other psychological characteristics (e.g., personality). The results are discussed in the context of the malleability of ASD and BAP traits across life, the clinical implications of these changes, and the origins and consequences for lifespan differences in BAP. LAY SUMMARY: Little is known about how subclinical autistic-like traits among middle-aged and older adults compare to younger adults. We found that these subclinical traits were highest in young adults and lowest in older adults. Knowing how these traits differ by age can provide researchers and clinicians with a sense of how much these traits might change across life, if the traits might be sensitive to interventions, and when in development it might be best to intervene.
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Affiliation(s)
- William J Chopik
- Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
| | - Jeewon Oh
- Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
| | - Amy K Nuttall
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
| | - Katharine N Thakkar
- Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
| | - Brooke Ingersoll
- Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
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Jayawickreme E, Infurna FJ, Alajak K, Blackie LE, Chopik WJ, Chung JM, Dorfman A, Fleeson W, Forgeard MJ, Frazier P, Furr RM, Grossmann I, Heller A, Laceulle OM, Lucas RE, Luhmann M, Luong G, Meijer L, McLean KC, Park CL, Roepke AM, al Sawaf Z, Tennen H, White RMB, Zonneveld R. Post-traumatic growth as positive personality change: Challenges, opportunities, and recommendations. J Pers 2021; 89:145-165. [PMID: 32897574 PMCID: PMC8062071 DOI: 10.1111/jopy.12591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2020] [Revised: 08/25/2020] [Accepted: 08/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Post-traumatic growth typically refers to enduring positive psychological change experienced as a result of adversity, trauma, or highly challenging life circumstances. Critics have challenged insights from much of the prior research on this topic, pinpointing its significant methodological limitations. In response to these critiques, we propose that post-traumatic growth can be more accurately captured in terms of personality change-an approach that affords a more rigorous examination of the phenomenon. METHOD We outline a set of conceptual and methodological questions and considerations for future work on the topic of post-traumatic growth. RESULTS We provide a series of recommendations for researchers from across the disciplines of clinical/counseling, developmental, health, personality, and social psychology and beyond, who are interested in improving the quality of research examining resilience and growth in the context of adversity. CONCLUSION We are hopeful that these recommendations will pave the way for a more accurate understanding of the ubiquity, durability, and causal processes underlying post-traumatic growth.
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Mayerson NH. The Character Strengths Response: An Urgent Call to Action. Front Psychol 2020; 11:2106. [PMID: 32973633 PMCID: PMC7472953 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.02106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2020] [Accepted: 07/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
A model on the role of character strengths in individual, collective, and species success is proffered. It is derived from viewing character strengths from a species perspective as opposed to one of individual differences/personality psychology. The history of the VIA initiative on character science is overviewed, and results to date are summarized in terms of promoting well-being, helping to accomplish aspirational intentions, and allowing the greater good of the collective to grow. "The character strengths response" is described as the response capacities that character strengths may enable for helping us fulfill the human promise of surviving, thriving, and successfully creating a next-generation so that individuals and the collective flourish while also living in harmonious balance with other species. An argument is presented that there is an urgent need for advancing population-wide psychological maturity to be better prepared to navigate the difficult decisions that accompany growing technological powers, and that the character strengths response warrants special attention of research funding to accomplish this imperative.
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