Empirically Derived Patterns of Posttraumatic Stress and Growth: A Systematic Review.
Level 3 - non-randomized controlled study
Systematic review of observational/cross-sectional cohort studies (graded by CEBM design analogy)
PubMed 36367208 · doi:10.1177/15248380221129580
What was done
A systematic review across five databases (Embase, Medline, Web of Science, PILOTS, PsycINFO) synthesized studies using person-centered approaches to categorize individuals into subgroups based on posttraumatic stress (PTS) and posttraumatic growth (PTG) scores, and evaluated clinical predictors of subgroup membership.
What was found
Seven studies (eight study samples, total n = 6,776) met inclusion criteria. Six analyses identified three common patterns: low PTS/high PTG (weighted mean: 43.1%), low PTS/PTG (26.89% of the entire sample), and high PTS/PTG (weighted mean: 20.05%). In all five studies examining it, higher social support consistently predicted membership in the low PTS/high PTG subgroup. In all five studies evaluating trauma characteristics, they significantly predicted subgroup membership.
Why it matters
Person-centered models show that posttraumatic growth commonly occurs without severe posttraumatic stress, and social support consistently differentiates adaptive adjustment from distress.
Limits
The review included only seven studies, limiting generalizability. The abstract lacks specific effect sizes, trauma types, demographic details, and assessment of heterogeneity or publication bias across included latent class/profile analyses.
Cited by
- contradicts In more than 90% of cases where people endure highly traumatic life events, they experience post-traumatic growth.