Post-traumatic growth

Measures

• Post Traumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI, Tedeschi & Calhourn, 1996; [1], [2], [3] consists of 21 self-report items that assess perceptions of growth with respect to five aspects:
  1. Relating to others
  2. New possibilities
  3. Personal strength
  4. Spriritual changes
  5. Appreciation of life

Questions ask about the extent to which change has been perceived to occur as a result of a traumatic experience to which participants respond using a six-point Likert scale.

References

1. McFarland, C. & Alvaro, C. (2000). The impact of motivation on temporal comparisons: Coping with traumatic events by perceiving personal growth. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 79, 327-343.
2. Shakespeare-Finch, J. E., Smith, S. G., Gow K. M., Embleton, G., & Baird, L. (2003). The prevalence of posttraumatic growth in emergency ambulance personnel. Traumatology, 9, 58-70.
3. Smith, S. G. & Cook, S. (2004). Are reports of PTG positively biased? Journal of Trauma and Stress, 12, 353-358.
4. Tedeschi, R., & Calhoun, L. (1996). The posttraumatic growth inventory: Measuring the positive legacy of trauma. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 9, 455-471.
5. Tedeschi, R. G., Park, C. L., Calhoun, L. J., & Mahwah, N. J. (Eds.) (1998). Posttraumatic growth: Positive changes in the aftermath of crisis. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
6. Wortman, C. B., (2004). Posttraumatic growth: Progress and problems. Psychological Inquiry, 15, 81-89.

See also

• Psychological resilience
• Recovery psychology