title: Self-reported posttraumatic growth predicts greater subsequent posttraumatic stress amidst war and terrorism.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study tested three alternative explanations for research indicating a positive, but heterogeneous relationship between self-reported posttraumatic growth (PTG) and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PSS): (a) the third-variable hypothesis that the relationship between PTG and PSS is a spurious one driven by positive relationships with resource loss, (b) the growth over time hypothesis that the relationship between PTG and PSS is initially a positive one, but becomes negative over time, and (c) the moderator hypothesis that resource loss moderates the relationship between PTG and PSS such that PTG is associated with lower levels of PSS as loss increases.
  
  
  METHODS
  A nationally representative sample (N = 1622) of Israelis was assessed at three time points during a period of ongoing violence. PTG, resource loss, and the interaction between PTG and loss were examined as lagged predictors of PSS to test the proposed hypotheses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Results were inconsistent with all three hypotheses, showing that PTG positively predicted subsequent PSS when accounting for main and interactive effects of loss.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results suggest that self-reported PTG is a meaningful but counterintuitive predictor of poorer mental health following trauma.
authors: a Departments of Behavioral Sciences and Psychiatry , Rush University Medical Center , Chicago , IL , USA.
authors: Alyson K
authors: AK
authors: Zalta
authors: b Department of Behavioral Sciences , Rush University Medical Center , Chicago , IL , USA.
authors: James
authors: J
authors: Gerhart
authors: c Global and Community Mental Health Research Group, Department of Psychology , University of Macau (SAR) , Macau , People's Republic of China.|d Department of Health, Behavior and Society , Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health , Baltimore , MD , USA.
authors: Brian J
authors: BJ
authors: Hall
authors: e Department of Internal Medicine , Rush University Medical Center , Chicago , IL , USA.
authors: Kumar B
authors: KB
authors: Rajan
authors: f Department of Psychology , University of Nevada , Reno , NV , USA.
authors: Catalina
authors: C
authors: Vechiu
authors: g School of Political Science , University of Haifa , Haifa , Israel.
authors: Daphna
authors: D
authors: Canetti
authors: b Department of Behavioral Sciences , Rush University Medical Center , Chicago , IL , USA.
authors: Stevan E
authors: SE
authors: Hobfoll
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D018912:Arabs / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004641:Emigration and Immigration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D007557:Israel / Q000453:epidemiology; D007585:Jews / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D012426:Russia / Q000208:ethnology; D057566:Self Report; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D023481:Terrorism / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014857:Warfare
keywords: Posttraumatic growth; political violence; posttraumatic stress; resource loss; terrorism