Trauma, unfortunately, is an all too common part of today’s world. The construct posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been the dominant paradigm to guide researchers and clinicians in the United States and around the world in their efforts to understand and help persons who have experienced trauma. However, PTSD as a diagnosis and this theoretical construct has some problems and limitations, particularly when considered from a global perspective. The author explores the less widely studied construct of posttraumatic growth (PTG) as a phenomenon that avoids some of the problems of PTSD and asks the question: Does it represent a paradigm shift or a paradox? The author seeks to consider this issue from a global perspective and discusses Syrian refugees as a case study.
BachnerY. G.CarmelS.O’RourkeN. (2018). The paradox of well-being and holocaust survivors. Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association, 24(1), 45-52.
BensimonM.SolomonZ.HoreshD. (2013). The utility of Criterion A under chronic national terror. Israeli Journal of Psychiatry and Related Sciences, 50, 81-83.
5.
ChenJ. A.OlinC. C.StirmanS. W.KaysenD. L. (2017). The role of context in the implementation of trauma-focused treatments: Effectiveness research and implementation in higher and lower income settings. Current Opinion in Psychology, 14, 61-66.
6.
El-KhaniA.UlphF.PetersS.CalamR. (2017). Syria: Coping mechanisms utilized by displaced refugee parents caring for their children in pre-resettlement contexts. Interventions, 15, 34-50.
7.
Galatzer-LevyI. R.BryantR. A. (2013). 636,120 ways to have posttraumatic stress disorder. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 8, 651-662. doi:10.1177/1745691613504115
8.
HobfollS. E.Canetti-NisimD.JohnsonR. J.PalmieriP. A.VarleyJ. D.GaleaS. (2008). The association of exposure, risk, and resiliency factors with PTSD among Jews and Arabs exposed to repeated acts of terrorism in Israel. Journal of Trauma Stress, 21, 9-21. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jts.20307
9.
KarstoftK.ArmourC.ElklitA.SolomonZ. (2013). Long-term trajectories of posttraumatic stress disorder in veterans: The role of social resources. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 74, 1163-1168. http://dx.doi.org/10.4088/JCP.13.m08482
10.
LiuA.WangL.LiH.GongJ.LiuX. (2017). Correlation between posttraumatic growth and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms based on Pearson correlation coefficient: A meta-analysis. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 205(5), 380-389. doi:10.1097/NMD.0000000000000605
11.
OzerE. J.BestS. R.LipseyT. L.WeissD. S. (2003). Predictors of posttraumatic stress disorder and symptoms in adults: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 129, 52-73.
12.
RobertsA. L.DohrenwendB. P.AielloA. E.WrightR. J.MaerckerA.GaleaS.KoenenK. C. (2012). The stressor criterion for posttraumatic stress disorder does it matter?Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 73, e264-e270. doi:10.4088/JCP.11m07054
13.
RutterM. (2012). Resilience: Causal pathways and social ecology. In UngarM. (Ed.), The social ecology of resilience: A handbook of theory and practice (pp. 33-42). New York, NY: Springer.
14.
TedeschiR. G.CalhounL. G. (2004). Target article: ‘Posttraumatic growth: Conceptual foundations and empirical evidence’. Psychological Inquiry, 15(1), 1-18. doi:10.1207/s15327965pli1501_01
YoungG. (2014). PTSD, endophenotypes, the RDoC, and the DSM-5. Psychological Injury and Law, 7, 75-91. doi:10.1007/s12207-014-9187-x
19.
YoungG.LareauC.PierreB. (2014). One quintillion ways to have PTSD comorbidity: Recommendations for the disordered DSM-5. Psychological Injury and Law, 7, 61-74. doi:10.1007/s12207-014-9186-y
20.
ZoellnerL. A.Bedard-GilliganM. A.JunJ. J.MarksL. H.GarciaN. M. (2013). The evolving construct of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD): DMS-5 criteria changes and legal implications. Psychology Injury and the Law, 6, 277-289. doi:10.1007/s12207-013-9175-6
