title: Stability and transitions in posttraumatic growth trajectories among cancer patients: LCA and LTA analyses.
abstract: The objectives of the current study were to identify (a) different post cancer treatment adaptation profiles; (b) factors that predict these adaptation profiles; and (c) transitions in post cancer-treatment adaptation profiles and trajectories in a sample (N = 198) of female breast cancer patients over a 2-year period.
  
  
  
  Latent class analysis (LCA) was used to idenitfy profiles of post cancer treatment adaptation, based on a combined pattern of responses to observable indicators of distress, coping strategies, and posttraumatic growth. latent transition analysis (LTA) was used to track trajectories, based on the probabilities of transitions among latent classes.
  
  
  
  Four postcancer treatment adaptation profiles were found: (a) distressed, (b) resistant, (c) constructive growth, and (d) struggling growth.
  
  
  
  The majority of transitions between different adaptation profiles occurred between 6 and 12 months after treatment. These findings offer theoretical and practice implications regarding posttraumatic growth in breast-cancer patients by distinguishing between profiles of adaptation and highlights a previously unidentified profile-struggling growth. These results contribute to the theoretical understanding of the complex relationship between growth, distress, and coping. (PsycINFO Database Record
authors.affiliation: Paul Baerwald School of Social Work and Social Welfare, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pat-Horenczyk
authors.affiliation: School of Social Work, Boston College.
authors.forename: Leia Y
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Saltzman
authors.affiliation: School of Social Work, Ariel University.
authors.forename: Yaira
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hamama-Raz
authors.affiliation: Davidoff Center, Rabin Medical Center.
authors.forename: Shlomit
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Perry
authors.affiliation: Israel Center for the Treatment of Psychotrauma, Herzog Hospital.
authors.forename: Yuval
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ziv
authors.affiliation: Israel Center for the Treatment of Psychotrauma, Herzog Hospital.
authors.forename: Rivkah
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ginat-Frolich
authors.affiliation: Davidoff Center, Rabin Medical Center.
authors.forename: Salomon M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Stemmer
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D000067073:Psychological Trauma / Q000523:psychology*; D055500:Resilience, Psychological; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*