In the aftermath of a severely stressful event, in addition to reporting negative changes, people also report personal growth. The degree to which reports of posttraumatic growth by 41 women who survived breast cancer could be corroborated by their husbands was examined. Because the breast cancer experience is an equally stressful event for husbands and may present an opportunity for growth, the degree to which...

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate posttraumatic growth among breast cancer patients and their significant others over a 11/2-year time span after diagnosis and to examine cognitive and emotional processes in posttraumatic growth.Methods: One hundred sixty-two women with breast cancer and their partners completed surveys assessing posttraumatic growth, cognitive and emotional processing, and marital satisfaction at 3 time points spaced 9 months apart.Results: Posttraumatic growth...

Cancer may be viewed as a psychosocial transition with the potential for positive and negative outcomes. This cross-sectional study (a) compared breast cancer (BC) survivors' (n = 70) self-reports of depression, well-being, and posttraumatic growth with those of age- and education-matched healthy comparison women (n = 70) and (b) identified correlates of posttraumatic growth among BC survivors. Groups did not differ in depression or well-being, but the BC group...

War's influence on emotional health includes potential psychological gains as well as losses In a sample of 149 veterans from longitudinal samples at the Institute of Human Development, University of California, Berkeley, this study explores two questions on the legacy of combat in World War II and the Korean conflict The first concerns the subjective experience or meanings of combat that veterans hold in later...

Interviews were conducted with 39 individuals who had lost a spouse in a motor vehicle crash 4 to 7 years ago and 39 controls and with 41 parents who had lost a child in a crash and 41 controls. Significant differences between bereaved spouses and controls were revealed on several indicators of general functioning, including depression and other psychiatric symptoms, social functioning, psychological well-being, reactivity...

People often report perceptions of benefit from adverse life experiences. In this study, adult perceptions of benefit from child sexual abuse were examined in a sample of 154 low-income women who were sexually abused as children. Almost half reported some perceived benefit. The benefits fell into 4 main categories: protecting children from abuse, self-protection, increased knowledge of child sexual abuse, and having a stronger personality....

A longitudinal study was conducted to investigate (a) the timing and course of posttraumatic growth and (b) the relations between positive and negative life changes and posttraumatic distress among recent female sexual assault survivors (N=171). Most survivors reported positive change even at 2 weeks postassault. Positive changes generally increased over time and negative changes decreased, although change in different domains followed different courses and there...

The impact of nine strengths-based positive interventions on well-being and depression was examined in an Internet-based randomized placebo-controlled study. The aims of the study were to: (1) replicate findings on the effectiveness of the gratitude visit, three good things, and using character strengths interventions; (2) test variants of interventions (noting three good things for 2 weeks; combining the gratitude visit and three good things interventions; and...

Positive psychology has flourished in the last 5 years. The authors review recent developments in the field, including books, meetings, courses, and conferences. They also discuss the newly created classification of character strengths and virtues, a positive complement to the various editions of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (e. g., American Psychiatric Association, 1994), and present some cross-cultural findings that suggest a...

The development of the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory, an instrument for assessing positive outcomes reported by persons who have experienced traumatic events, is described. This 21-item scale includes factors of New Possibilities, Relating to Others, Personal Strength, Spiritual Change, and Appreciation of Life. Women tend to report more benefits than do men, and persons who have experienced traumatic events report more positive change than do persons...