The Effect of Traumatic Loss on Posttraumatic Growth Among 2011 Van Earthquake Survivors: The Mediating Role of Posttraumatic Stress

Abstract

Objective: Posttraumatic growth (PTG), defined as a positive change after a traumaticevent, has become the subject of various studies, and its relationship with posttraumaticstress symptoms (PTSS) has been extensively investigated. However, studies have indicateddifferences in the relationship between PTG and PTSS. Therefore, this study aimed to investigatethe mediating role of PTSS in the relationship between the number of traumaticlosses and PTG among the 2011 Van earthquake survivors.Methods: The sample of this study consisted of 917 participants who experienced the2011 Van earthquake. A personal information form, impact of event scale-revised (IES-R),and posttraumatic growth inventory (PTGI) were used as data collection tools.Results: Survivors with traumatic loss were found to have higher PTSS and PTG than survivorswithout traumatic loss. The mean scores of the PTGI subscales were higher amongsurvivors with traumatic loss except for changes in self-perception. A positive correlationwas found between IES-R and PTGI total scores. In the regression analysis, it was foundthat PTSS played a mediating role in the relationship between the number of traumaticlosses and PTG.Conclusion: This study revealed that PTG is possible with the presence of PTSS. Mentalhealth professionals assisting survivors with traumatic loss should take the enhancementof PTG into consideration in addition to their efforts to reduce PTSS.