TY - JOUR
T1 - Posttraumatic growth in former Vietnam prisoners of war
AU - Feder, Adriana
AU - Southwick, Steven M.
AU - Goetz, Raymond R.
AU - Wang, Yanping
AU - Alonso, Angelique
AU - Smith, Bruce W.
AU - Buchholz, Katherine R.
AU - Waldeck, Tracy
AU - Ameli, Rezvan
AU - Moore, Jeffrey
AU - Hain, Robert
AU - Charney, Dennis S.
AU - Vythilingam, Meena
N1 - Funding Information:
York City. Steven Southwick, MD, is also affiliated with the Psychiatry Department at Yale University in New Haven, CT. Raymond R. Goetz, PhD, is with the New York State Psychiatric Institute in New York City. Bruce W. Smith, PhD, is with the Psychology Department, University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. Tracy Waldeck, PhD, Rezvan Ameli, PhD, and Meena Vythilingam, MD, are with the Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program, National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda, Maryland. Jeffrey Moore, PhD, and Robert Hain, MD, are affiliated with the Robert E. Mitchell Center for Prisoner of War Studies, Pensacola, Florida. We gratefully acknowledge the support of the NIMH Intramural Research Program and the work of Kayleen Hadd, R.N., Rajni Agarwal, M.A., and the staff at the NIMH Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program. *Both authors contributed equally to this manuscript. Address correspondence to Adriana Feder, M.D., Psychiatry Department, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1217, New York, NY 10023. E-mail: [email protected].
PY - 2008/12
Y1 - 2008/12
N2 - This study examined posttraumatic growth in 30 male veterans captured and held as prisoners of war during the Vietnam War. Participants were assessed with structured diagnostic interviews administered by trained clinicians as well as with the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI) and other questionnaires measuring dispositional optimism, religious coping, social supports, and purpose in life. Mean age (standard deviation-SD) of participants was 66.7 (6.0) years. Mean total PTGI score (SD) was 66.3 (17.5), indicating a moderate degree of posttraumatic growth. The most strongly endorsed items corresponded to the Appreciation of Life and Personal Strength factors. The group as a whole was optimistic and reported moderate use of positive religious coping. Posttraumatic growth did not significantly differ in repatriates with and without psychopathology, but it was significantly positively correlated with dispositional optimism. In the final regression model, length of captivity and optimism were significant predictors of posttraumatic growth. Our findings confirm that it is possible to achieve long-lasting personal growth even in the face of prolonged extreme adversity. Prospective studies are needed to further evaluate whether pre-existing traits such as optimism can predict growth after trauma.
AB - This study examined posttraumatic growth in 30 male veterans captured and held as prisoners of war during the Vietnam War. Participants were assessed with structured diagnostic interviews administered by trained clinicians as well as with the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI) and other questionnaires measuring dispositional optimism, religious coping, social supports, and purpose in life. Mean age (standard deviation-SD) of participants was 66.7 (6.0) years. Mean total PTGI score (SD) was 66.3 (17.5), indicating a moderate degree of posttraumatic growth. The most strongly endorsed items corresponded to the Appreciation of Life and Personal Strength factors. The group as a whole was optimistic and reported moderate use of positive religious coping. Posttraumatic growth did not significantly differ in repatriates with and without psychopathology, but it was significantly positively correlated with dispositional optimism. In the final regression model, length of captivity and optimism were significant predictors of posttraumatic growth. Our findings confirm that it is possible to achieve long-lasting personal growth even in the face of prolonged extreme adversity. Prospective studies are needed to further evaluate whether pre-existing traits such as optimism can predict growth after trauma.
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/61849176973
U2 - 10.1521/psyc.2008.71.4.359
DO - 10.1521/psyc.2008.71.4.359
M3 - Article
C2 - 19152285
AN - SCOPUS:61849176973
SN - 0033-2747
VL - 71
SP - 359
EP - 370
JO - Psychiatry (New York)
JF - Psychiatry (New York)
IS - 4
ER -