Background: Firefighters, in the course of their professional responsibilities, confront an array of stressors contingent upon the distinctive characteristics of their duties.Objective: This study investigated the longitudinal impact of trauma incidents during duty on firefighters using latent transition analysis.Method: Data from 346 firefighters in South Korea who had experienced trauma events while on duty were utilized. Initially, latent groups were identified based on the relationship between post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and post-traumatic growth (PTG). Groups were labelled based on the analysis of differences in PTSD, mental health, and growth-related factors among classified groups. Subsequently, transition probabilities and patterns from Time 1 to Time 2 were examined, followed by an investigation into variances based on demographic factors (gender, age) and occupational factors (work experience, shift pattern) using variance analysis and multinomial logistic regression analysis.Results: First, at Time 2, a five-group model was classified into \'Growth,\' \'Resilience or Numbness,\' \'Struggle,\' \'Partial Struggle,\' and \'PTSD\' groups. Second, upon examining the transition patterns between latent groups, four patterns emerged: \'continued distress,\' \'growth,\' \'adaptation,\' and \'escalated distress.\' Third, the \'Struggle\' group showed a 0% probability of transitioning to the \'Growth\' group, whereas it displayed the highest probability among the groups transitioning to the \'PTSD\' group. Fourth, latent transition analysis results showed a strong tendency for the \'Growth\' group and \'Resilience or Numbness\' group to remain in the same category. Fifth, age was found to be a significant factor affecting the transition of latent groups.Conclusion: This research represents the inaugural attempt to longitudinally investigate the interplay between PTSD and PTG among firefighters.
Firefighters, in the course of their professional responsibilities, confront an array of stressors contingent upon the distinctive characteristics of their duties.The transition patterns of firefighters between latent groups revealed at Time 1 and Time 2 were examined, revealing four transition patterns: ‘continued distress,’ ‘growth,’ ‘adaptation,’ and ‘escalated distress.’This research represents the inaugural attempt to longitudinally investigate the interplay between post-traumatic stress disorder and post-traumatic growth among firefighters.

Background: The initial wave of the COVID-19 pandemic significantly deteriorated mental health, especially among college students. Self-compassion has demonstrated benefits for psychological outcomes such as depressive symptoms, life satisfaction, posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), and posttraumatic growth (PTG). Notably, existing literature suggests that the protective and vulnerable aspects within the Self-Compassion Scale, namely, compassionate and uncompassionate self-responding (CSR and USR), can coexist within individuals and influence their mental health through various coexisting patterns. However, this process has not been sufficiently explored.Objective: This study aimed to explore the combined effects of CSR and USR on college students\' depressive symptoms, life satisfaction, PTSS, and PTG during the initial wave of the pandemic.Method: In this cross-sectional study, 4450 Chinese college students (51.9% females, Mage = 20.58 years, SD = 1.49) completed self-report measures amid the COVID-19 pandemic\'s initial wave in 2020. Response surface analyses were utilised to investigate the combined effects of CSR and USR.Results: Simultaneously increased CSR and USR were associated with a slight increase in depressive symptoms, PTSS, and life satisfaction, but a substantial increase in PTG. Conversely, increased CSR and decreased USR were associated with a considerable decrease in depressive symptoms and PTSS, a significant increase in life satisfaction, and a moderate increase in PTG.Conclusions: CSR and USR demonstrated protective and vulnerable impacts, respectively. It is imperative to analyse their combined effects as an interactive system and consider the specific characteristics of different psychological responses.
Increased CSR and decreased USR were associated with less depressive symptoms and PTSS as well as more life satisfaction.CSR mitigated the negative effects of USR on depressive symptoms, life satisfaction, and PTSS.Simultaneously increased CSR and USR were associated with a substantial increase in PTG.

Background: During peacekeeping missions, military personnel may be involved in or exposed to potentially morally injurious experiences (PMIEs), such as an inability to intervene due to a limited mandate. While exposure to such morally transgressive events has been shown to lead to moral injury in combat veterans, research on moral injury in peacekeepers is limited.Objective: We aimed to determine patterns of exposure to PMIEs and associated outcome- and exposure-related factors among Dutch peacekeepers stationed in the former Yugoslavia during the Srebrenica genocide.Method: Self-report data were collected among Dutchbat III veterans (N = 431). We used Latent Class Analysis to identify subgroups of PMIE exposure as assessed by the Moral Injury Scale-Military version. We investigated whether deployment location, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), posttraumatic growth, resilience, and quality of life differentiated between latent classes.Results: The analysis identified a three-class solution: a high exposure class (n = 79), a moderate exposure class (n = 261), and a betrayal and powerlessness-only class (n = 135). More PMIE exposure was associated with deployment location and higher odds of having probable PTSD. PMIE exposure was not associated with posttraumatic growth. Resilience and quality of life were excluded from analyses due to high correlations with PTSD.Conclusions: Peacekeepers may experience varying levels of PMIE exposure, with more exposure being associated with worse outcomes 25 years later. Although no causal relationship may be assumed, the results emphasize the importance of better understanding PMIEs within peacekeeping.
Peacekeeping veterans reported different patterns of exposure to potentially morally injurious experiences: high exposure, moderate exposure, or experiences of betrayal and powerlessness only.Deployment location predicted the pattern of exposure.More exposure was associated with worse psychological outcomes 25 years later.

Background: Various coping strategies have been shown to alleviate the negative effects of trauma, yet the significance of prosocial behaviour in this realm has been notably underexplored. The present study explored the hypothesis that engaging in prosocial behaviour mitigates the impacts of trauma by promoting a sense of competence and relatedness, post-traumatic growth (PTG), and reconstruction of meaning.Methods: Three consecutive studies were conducted with college students to compare differences in consequence of prosocial behaviours between a trauma group and a control group. Study 1 (N = 96) used self-reported experiences of traumatic vs non-traumatic events; Study 2 (N = 43) used exposure vs. no exposure to video of an earthquake; Study 3 (N = 20) used a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of a prosocial-themed intervention vs. no intervention. Outcomes in all studies were assessed by self-report questionnaires.Results: Trauma damaged participants\' sense of competence and meaningfulness. Prosocial behaviour relieved the impact of trauma on meaning, specifically manifested in the individuals\' sense of meaningfulness and their search for meaning. Group interventions with a prosocial theme (based on effect size results) reduced post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and enhanced PTG in victims. The promoting effect on PTG persisted a month later, and its enhancing effect on meaning manifested with a delay.Conclusion: Prosocial behaviour can potentially serve as a beneficial strategy for individuals coping with trauma because it helps enhance meaning and promotes PTG in victims. This conclusion is supported by laboratory experiments and a tentative small-scale intervention study, which provide an innovative perspective for future trauma interventions.
Prosocial behaviour can potentially serve as a beneficial strategy for individuals coping with trauma.Prosocial behaviour relieved the impact of trauma on meaning.Prosocial-themed intervention reduced PTSD and enhanced PTG in victims (based on effect size results).

Background: Civil wars in Libya have impacted the mental health of the general population. The ways in which individuals cope with traumatic events are influenced by several psychological variables.Objectives: The present study aimed to investigate how post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) are associated with psychological symptoms and post-traumatic growth (PTG), and to evaluate the role of avoidant and anxious attachment dimensions as mediators in these associations, among Libyan citizens.Method: Three-hundred participants (147 females; age 31.0 ± 8.4 years) completed the Impact of Event Scale - Revised, Experiences in Close Relationships, Patient Health Questionnaire, and Post-traumatic Growth Inventory - Short Form.Results: The structural equation model revealed that insecure attachment dimensions mediated the association between PTSS and psychological symptoms and PTG. PTSS were positively associated with psychological symptoms, PTG, and both insecure attachment dimensions. Insecure attachment dimensions were positively associated with psychological symptoms and negatively with PTG.Conclusion: The present findings contribute to growing empirical research on the roles of insecure attachment dimensions in the association between the impact of war, psychological symptoms, and PTG.
Insecure attachment dimensions mediated the association between the impact of war and psychological symptoms, as well as posttraumatic growth, among Libyan citizens.Higher psychological symptoms were negatively correlated with posttraumatic growth.Psychological interventions should consider insecure attachment dimensions, when evaluating the consequences of prolonged and repeated wars.

Background: Post-traumatic growth (PTG) and resilience, regarded as positive psychological change following a traumatic experience, are under-researched across cultures in people exposed to child maltreatment (CM).Objective: We investigated how experiences and the perceived acceptability of CM are related to resilience and PTG in countries with different cultures, living standards, and gross national income.Method: A total of 478 adults from Cameroon (n = 111), Canada (n = 137), Japan (n = 108), and Germany (n = 122) completed an online survey with self-reported questionnaires, including the Brief Resilience Scale and the Post Traumatic Growth Inventory-Short Form.Results: Across countries, self-reported male gender and age were positively associated with resilience, while experiences of physical abuse and emotional maltreatment were negatively associated with resilience. Experiences of emotional maltreatment were positively associated with PTG. Higher levels of PTG and resilience were found amongst Cameroonian participants as compared to other countries.Conclusion: Our results suggest that positive changes following CM can vary significantly across cultures and that experiences of specific CM subtypes, but not the perceived acceptability of CM, may be important for a deeper understanding of how individuals overcome trauma and develop salutogenic outcomes. Our findings may inform CM intervention programmes for an enhanced cultural sensitivity.
Across the four countries (Canada, Cameroon, Germany, Japan), more experiences of physical abuse and emotional maltreatment were associated with lower resilience; more experiences of emotional maltreatment were associated with greater post-traumatic growth.Higher levels of post-traumatic growth and resilience were found in Cameroon as compared to other countries.Positive changes following child maltreatment vary across cultures and experiences of specific child maltreatment subtypes, but the perceived acceptability of child maltreatment did not exert an influence on salutogenic post-traumatic outcomes.

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.
The religious growth item in the PTGI and the PTGI-SF show serious psychometric validity issues in Spain. The PTGI Expanded version (PTGI-X) should be used instead of the PTGI in Spain. For the PTGI-SF, the religious item needs to be substituted.

Background: Due to the job characteristics, firefighters are repeatedly exposed to trauma incidents. However, not all firefighters exhibit the same level of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or post-traumatic growth (PTG). Despite this, few studies have looked into firefighters\' PTSD and PTG.Objective: This study identified subgroups of firefighters based on their PTSD and PTG levels, and investigated the influence of demographic factors and PTSD/PTG-related factors on latent class classification.Method: Latent profile analysis was used to examine the patterns of PTSD and PTG among 483 firefighters in South Korea. Using a cross-sectional design, demographic factors and job factors were examined as group covariates through a three-step approach. PTSD-related factors such as depression and suicide ideation, as well as PTG-related factors such as emotion-based response were analysed as differentiating factors.Results: Four classes were identified and named \'Low PTSD-low PTG (65.2%),\' \'Mid PTSD-mid PTG (15.5%),\' \'Low PTSD-high PTG (15.3%),\' and \'High PTSD-mid PTG (3.9%).\' The likelihood of belonging to the group with high trauma-related risks increased with more rotating shift work and years of service. The differentiating factors revealed differences based on the levels of PTSD and PTG in each group.Conclusions: 34.8% of firefighters experienced changes due to traumatic events while on the job, and some required serious attention. Modifiable job characteristics, such as the shift pattern, indirectly affected PTSD and PTG levels. Individual and job factors should be considered together when developing trauma interventions for firefighters.
Firefighters were classified into four groups based on their levels of PTSD and PTG. 65.2% of the participants belonged to the ‘Low PTSD-low PTG’ group.The shift pattern and years of service predicted the likelihood of group classification.This implies that, despite being frequently exposed to threatening events, not all firefighters experience trauma, and that job characteristics influence trauma-related vulnerabilities.

ABSTRACTBackground: Cancer is a life-threatening disease in Korean women. Female cancer patients in Korea have reported poor physical functioning and psychological distress after diagnosis. However, some patients experience post-traumatic growth (PTG), which includes positive feelings and changes.Objective: The main purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between PTG and its associated factors in Korean female cancer patients to understand how female cancer patients achieve PTG while experiencing cancer diagnosis and treatment. This study aimed to improve the quality of life of many Korean female patients with cancer.Methods: This study investigated the structural model of the paths from the disruption of core beliefs (CBD), coping strategies, and resilience to PTG in a sample of female cancer patients. In total, 164 middle-aged women diagnosed with cancer were included in the final sample.Results: First, it was determined that the proposed structural model was substantial and had high fit indices. Second, problem-solving was positively associated by the CBD routes. Third, it was also favorably expected that problem-solving would lead to resilience and resilience would lead to PTG. These findings are important for developing future interventions for Korean female cancer patients and can be considered as an important variable to improve their PTG.
The proposed structural model observed paths of how female cancer patients achieve post-traumatic growth while experiencing cancer diagnosis and treatment.Disruption of core beliefs as a factor positively associates problem-solving in Korean female cancer patients.Problem-solving and resilience as factors positively associate post-traumatic growth in Korean female cancer patients.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 deaths elevate the prevalence of prolonged grief and post-traumatic stress symptoms among the bereaved, yet few studies have examined potential positive outcomes. Moreover, how COVID-19 bereavement affects individual-level mental health outcomes is under-researched.
OBJECTIVE: This is the first study to use latent profile analysis (LPA) to identify heterogeneous profiles of prolonged grief, post-traumatic stress and post-traumatic growth among people bereaved due to COVID-19 and to identify predictors of latent class membership.
METHODS: Four hundred and twenty-two Chinese participants who were bereaved due to COVID-19 completed an online survey between September and October 2020. The survey included the International (ICD-11) Prolonged Grief Disorder Scale (IPGDS), the Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) and the Post-traumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI). LPA was run in Mplus, and the 3-step auxiliary approach was used to test the predicting effects of potential predictors of latent class membership identified with chi-square tests and ANOVAs.
RESULTS: Four latent profiles were identified: resilience (10.7%), growth (20.1%), moderate-combined (42.2%) and high-combined (27.0%). The bereaved who shared a close relationship with the deceased and identified COVID-19 as the fundamental cause of death were more likely to be in the high-combined group. A conflictful bereaved-deceased relationship reduces the chance of being in the growth group. Moreover, the death of a younger person and loss of a partner attributed to maladaptive outcomes.
CONCLUSIONS: Serious attention needs to be paid to the mental health issues of people bereaved due to COVID-19 because nearly 70% of this group would have a moderate-combined or high-combined symptom profile. Special care should be given to those who lost someone younger, lost a partner or shared a close relationship with the deceased. Grief therapies that work on the conflicts between the deceased and the bereaved and unfinished business can be applied to facilitate growth.
Antecedentes: Las muertes por COVID-19 elevan la prevalencia de síntomas de duelo prolongado y estrés postraumático entre las personas en duelo, sin embargo, pocos estudios han examinado los posibles resultados positivos. Además, la forma en que el duelo por COVID-19 afecta los resultados de salud mental a nivel individual está poco investigada.Objetivo: Este es el primer estudio que utiliza el análisis de perfil latente (LPA) para identificar perfiles heterogéneos de duelo prolongado, estrés postraumático y crecimiento postraumático entre personas en duelo debido al COVID-19 y para identificar predictores de pertenencia a una clase latente.Métodos: Cuatrocientos veintidós participantes chinos que estaban en duelo debido a COVID-19 completaron una encuesta en línea entre septiembre y octubre de 2020. La encuesta incluyó la Escala Internacional de Trastorno por Duelo Prolongado (ICD-11) (IPGDS), la Lista de verificación de trastornos por estrés para el DSM-5 (PCL-5) y el Inventario de crecimiento postraumático (PTGI). Se ejecutó LPA en Mplus y se usó el enfoque auxiliar de 3 pasos para probar los efectos de concordancia de posibles predictores de pertenencia a una clase latente identificados con pruebas de chi-cuadrado y ANOVA.Resultados: Se identificaron cuatro perfiles latentes: resiliencia (10,7%), crecimiento (20,1%), combinado moderado (42,2%) y combinado alto (27,0%). Los deudos que compartían una relación cercana con el fallecido e identificaron al COVID-19 como la causa fundamental de muerte tenían más probabilidades de estar en el grupo de alta combinación. Una relación conflictiva con el fallecido reduce la posibilidad de estar en el grupo de crecimiento. Además, la muerte de una persona más joven y la pérdida de una pareja se asocian a resultados desadaptativos.Conclusiones: Se debe prestar mucha atención a los problemas de salud mental de las personas en duelo debido a COVID-19 porque casi el 70% de este grupo tendría un perfil de síntomas combinados moderados o combinados altos. Se debe prestar especial atención a quienes perdieron a alguien más joven, perdieron a una pareja o tuvieron una relación cercana con el fallecido. Las terapias de duelo que trabajan en los conflictos entre el fallecido y los deudos y en temáticas no resueltas, se pueden aplicar para facilitar el crecimiento.
背景: COVID-19 死亡增加了丧亲者的延长哀伤和创伤后应激症状的流行率, 但很少有研究考查潜在的积极结果。此外, 对 COVID-19 丧亲如何影响个体层面心理健康结果的研究不足。目的: 这是第一项使用潜在剖面分析 (LPA) 来确定因 COVID-19 丧亲者的延长哀伤, 创伤后应激和创伤后成长的异质剖面并确定潜在类别成员的预测因素的研究。方法: 422 名因 COVID-19 丧亲的中国参与者在 2020 年 9 月至 10 月期间完成了一项在线调查。该调查包括国际 (ICD-11) 延长哀伤障碍量表 (IPGDS), DSM-5创伤后应激障碍检查表 (PCL-5) 和创伤后成长量表 (PTGI) 。在 Mplus 中运行LPA, 并使用 3 步辅助方法来检验通过卡方检验和方差分析确定的潜在类别成员的潜在预测因子的预测效果。结果: 确定了四种潜在剖面:复原力(10.7%), 成长 (20.1%), 混合中等症状 (42.2%) 和混合高症状 (27.0%)。与死者关系亲密并确定 COVID-19 为根本死因的丧亲者更有可能属于混合高症状组。与死者有冲突会降低成为成长群体的几率。此外, 年轻人的死亡和丧失伴侣会增加适应不良的结果。结论: 需要认真关注因 COVID-19 丧亲者的心理健康问题, 因为该群体中有近 70% 的人具有混合中等或混合高症状剖面。应该给那些丧失更年轻人, 伴侣或与死者关系亲密的人提供特别护理。处理死者与丧亲者之间的冲突和未完成事件的哀伤疗法可用于促进成长。.