Long-Term Posttraumatic Growth in Victims of Terrorism in Spain

Background: Scientific literature on posttraumatic growth (PTG) after terrorist attacks has primarily focused on persons who had not been directly exposed to terrorist attacks or persons who had been directly exposed to them, but who were assessed few months or years after the attacks. Methods: We e...

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Authors: Fausor De Castro, Rocío, Sanz Fernández, Jesús, Navarro McCarthy, Ashley, Gesteira Santos, Clara, Morán Rodríguez, Noelia, Cobos Redondo, Beatriz, Altungy Labrador, Pedro Rafael, Sánchez Marqueses, José Manuel, Sanz García, Ana, García Vera, María Paz
Format: article
Publication Date:2022
Country:España
Institution:Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM)
Repository:Docta Complutense
Language:English
OAI Identifier:oai:docta.ucm.es:20.500.14352/71396
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/71396
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:posttraumatic growth
PTSD
psychological consequences
terrorism
victims
depression
optimism
crecimiento postraumático
TEPT
trastorno de estrés postraumático
consecuencias psicológicas
terrorismo
víctimas
depresión
optimismo
Psiquiatría
Psicología clínica y psicodiagnóstico
Psicoterapia (Psicología)
Personalidad
3211 Psiquiatría
6101 Patología
6103.07 Psicoterapia
6111 Personalidad
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oai_identifier_str oai:docta.ucm.es:20.500.14352/71396
network_acronym_str ES
network_name_str España
repository_id_str
spelling Long-Term Posttraumatic Growth in Victims of Terrorism in SpainCrecimiento Postraumático a Largo Plazo en Víctimas de Terrorismo en EspañaFausor De Castro, RocíoSanz Fernández, JesúsNavarro McCarthy, AshleyGesteira Santos, ClaraMorán Rodríguez, NoeliaCobos Redondo, BeatrizAltungy Labrador, Pedro RafaelSánchez Marqueses, José ManuelSanz García, AnaGarcía Vera, María Pazposttraumatic growthPTSDpsychological consequencesterrorismvictimsdepressionoptimismcrecimiento postraumáticoTEPTtrastorno de estrés postraumáticoconsecuencias psicológicasterrorismovíctimasdepresiónoptimismoPsiquiatríaPsicología clínica y psicodiagnósticoPsicoterapia (Psicología)Personalidad3211 Psiquiatría6101 Patología6103.07 Psicoterapia6111 PersonalidadBackground: Scientific literature on posttraumatic growth (PTG) after terrorist attacks has primarily focused on persons who had not been directly exposed to terrorist attacks or persons who had been directly exposed to them, but who were assessed few months or years after the attacks. Methods: We examined long-term PTG in 210 adults directly exposed to terrorist attacks in Spain a mean of 29.6 years after the attacks (range: 2–47 years). The participants had been injured by a terrorist attack (38.6%) or were first-degree relatives of people who had been killed or injured by a terrorist attack (41.4% and 20%, respectively). They completed diagnostic measures of emotional disorders and measures of PTSD and depression symptomatology, optimism, and PTG. Results: Multiple regression analyses revealed gender differences (women reported higher levels of PTG than did men) and a positive linear relationship between PTG and cumulative trauma after the terrorist attack. Some PTG dimensions were significantly associated with PTSD symptomatology, these associations being linear, not curvilinear. However, PTG was not associated with depression symptomatology, diagnosis of emotional disorders, age, elapsed time since the attack, or optimism. In comparison with survivors assessed 18 years after the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, Spanish victims of terrorism showed higher levels of appreciation of life, but lower levels of relating to others and spiritual change. Conclusion: The findings underscore the influence of gender on PTG and provide support to the hypothesis that some emotional distress may be a necessary condition of PTG. Future studies on PTG after terrorist attacks should take into consideration the characteristics of the terrorist attack itself and the contexts of violence and threat in which it occurred. The political, social, and cultural characteristics of the community affected by it and the profile and characteristics of other traumatic events suffered after the attack should also be taken into account in further research.FrontiersUniversidad Complutense de Madrid20222022-03-2320222022-03-23journal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501info:eu-repo/semantics/articleapplication/pdfhttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/71396reponame:Docta Complutenseinstname:Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM)Inglésengopen accesshttp://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2Atribución 3.0 Españahttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/es/info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:docta.ucm.es:20.500.14352/713962026-06-02T12:44:21Z
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Long-Term Posttraumatic Growth in Victims of Terrorism in Spain
Crecimiento Postraumático a Largo Plazo en Víctimas de Terrorismo en España
title Long-Term Posttraumatic Growth in Victims of Terrorism in Spain
spellingShingle Long-Term Posttraumatic Growth in Victims of Terrorism in Spain
Fausor De Castro, Rocío
posttraumatic growth
PTSD
psychological consequences
terrorism
victims
depression
optimism
crecimiento postraumático
TEPT
trastorno de estrés postraumático
consecuencias psicológicas
terrorismo
víctimas
depresión
optimismo
Psiquiatría
Psicología clínica y psicodiagnóstico
Psicoterapia (Psicología)
Personalidad
3211 Psiquiatría
6101 Patología
6103.07 Psicoterapia
6111 Personalidad
title_short Long-Term Posttraumatic Growth in Victims of Terrorism in Spain
title_full Long-Term Posttraumatic Growth in Victims of Terrorism in Spain
title_fullStr Long-Term Posttraumatic Growth in Victims of Terrorism in Spain
title_full_unstemmed Long-Term Posttraumatic Growth in Victims of Terrorism in Spain
title_sort Long-Term Posttraumatic Growth in Victims of Terrorism in Spain
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Fausor De Castro, Rocío
Sanz Fernández, Jesús
Navarro McCarthy, Ashley
Gesteira Santos, Clara
Morán Rodríguez, Noelia
Cobos Redondo, Beatriz
Altungy Labrador, Pedro Rafael
Sánchez Marqueses, José Manuel
Sanz García, Ana
García Vera, María Paz
author Fausor De Castro, Rocío
author_facet Fausor De Castro, Rocío
Sanz Fernández, Jesús
Navarro McCarthy, Ashley
Gesteira Santos, Clara
Morán Rodríguez, Noelia
Cobos Redondo, Beatriz
Altungy Labrador, Pedro Rafael
Sánchez Marqueses, José Manuel
Sanz García, Ana
García Vera, María Paz
author_role author
author2 Sanz Fernández, Jesús
Navarro McCarthy, Ashley
Gesteira Santos, Clara
Morán Rodríguez, Noelia
Cobos Redondo, Beatriz
Altungy Labrador, Pedro Rafael
Sánchez Marqueses, José Manuel
Sanz García, Ana
García Vera, María Paz
author2_role author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author
dc.contributor.none.fl_str_mv Universidad Complutense de Madrid
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv posttraumatic growth
PTSD
psychological consequences
terrorism
victims
depression
optimism
crecimiento postraumático
TEPT
trastorno de estrés postraumático
consecuencias psicológicas
terrorismo
víctimas
depresión
optimismo
Psiquiatría
Psicología clínica y psicodiagnóstico
Psicoterapia (Psicología)
Personalidad
3211 Psiquiatría
6101 Patología
6103.07 Psicoterapia
6111 Personalidad
topic posttraumatic growth
PTSD
psychological consequences
terrorism
victims
depression
optimism
crecimiento postraumático
TEPT
trastorno de estrés postraumático
consecuencias psicológicas
terrorismo
víctimas
depresión
optimismo
Psiquiatría
Psicología clínica y psicodiagnóstico
Psicoterapia (Psicología)
Personalidad
3211 Psiquiatría
6101 Patología
6103.07 Psicoterapia
6111 Personalidad
description Background: Scientific literature on posttraumatic growth (PTG) after terrorist attacks has primarily focused on persons who had not been directly exposed to terrorist attacks or persons who had been directly exposed to them, but who were assessed few months or years after the attacks. Methods: We examined long-term PTG in 210 adults directly exposed to terrorist attacks in Spain a mean of 29.6 years after the attacks (range: 2–47 years). The participants had been injured by a terrorist attack (38.6%) or were first-degree relatives of people who had been killed or injured by a terrorist attack (41.4% and 20%, respectively). They completed diagnostic measures of emotional disorders and measures of PTSD and depression symptomatology, optimism, and PTG. Results: Multiple regression analyses revealed gender differences (women reported higher levels of PTG than did men) and a positive linear relationship between PTG and cumulative trauma after the terrorist attack. Some PTG dimensions were significantly associated with PTSD symptomatology, these associations being linear, not curvilinear. However, PTG was not associated with depression symptomatology, diagnosis of emotional disorders, age, elapsed time since the attack, or optimism. In comparison with survivors assessed 18 years after the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, Spanish victims of terrorism showed higher levels of appreciation of life, but lower levels of relating to others and spiritual change. Conclusion: The findings underscore the influence of gender on PTG and provide support to the hypothesis that some emotional distress may be a necessary condition of PTG. Future studies on PTG after terrorist attacks should take into consideration the characteristics of the terrorist attack itself and the contexts of violence and threat in which it occurred. The political, social, and cultural characteristics of the community affected by it and the profile and characteristics of other traumatic events suffered after the attack should also be taken into account in further research.
publishDate 2022
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2022
2022-03-23
2022
2022-03-23
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv journal article
http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501
dc.type.openaire.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
format article
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/71396
url https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/71396
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv Inglés
eng
language_invalid_str_mv Inglés
language eng
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv open access
http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2
Atribución 3.0 España
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/es/
dc.rights.openaire.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv open access
http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2
Atribución 3.0 España
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/es/
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv Frontiers
publisher.none.fl_str_mv Frontiers
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv reponame:Docta Complutense
instname:Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM)
instname_str Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM)
reponame_str Docta Complutense
collection Docta Complutense
repository.name.fl_str_mv
repository.mail.fl_str_mv
_version_ 1869423181108871168
score 15.301603

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