Publication Date

2015-07-29

Availability

Open access

Embargo Period

2015-07-29

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PHD)

Department

Educational and Psychological Studies (Education)

Date of Defense

2015-04-21

First Committee Member

Etiony Aldarondo

Second Committee Member

Soyeon Ahn

Third Committee Member

Debbiesiu Lee

Fourth Committee Member

John Paul Russo

Fifth Committee Member

Carlos Perez Benitez

Abstract

Posttraumatic growth (PTG) is an area of research that describes the positive psychological changes that often occur after a traumatic event (Tedeschi & Calhoun, 2004). To date, PTG has been documented in many countries for individuals that have experienced a range of traumatic experiences (Tedeschi & Calhoun, 2004; Weiss & Berger, 2010a). However, there is no research on PTG changes as a result of participation in psychological treatment with Latinas in the US. This study used data obtained at a local community mental health clinic to assess PTG levels before and after a trauma treatment among 77 Latinas victims of interpersonal violence. It was hypothesized that: 1. There would be a significant increase in PTG from pre to post treatment, 2. religious affiliations and attending religious services would be positively associated with PTG at post intervention, 3. minutes and duration of treatment would be positive predictors of PTG, 4. post-treatment PTG would be positively associated with post-treatment PTSD symptoms. It was concluded that pre-treatment PTG was a positive predictor while post-treatment PTSD symptoms were negatively associated with post-treatment PTG. Measures of religion were not significant predictors of post-treatment PTG. Clinical implications of this study are discussed and recommendations are made for further research on PTG change during treatment.

Keywords

postraumatic growth; interpersonal violence; trauma; Latina; Hispanic; Traumatic Incident Reduction

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