Predicting Posttraumatic Growth: Coping, Social Support, and Posttraumatic Stress in Children and Adolescents after Hurricane Katrina

There is a growing area of research that explores the possibility that negative life events could ultimately result in positive outcomes. However, there exists some debate on whether or not children are capable of experiencing such outcomes. The proposed study examined posttraumatic growth (PTG), po...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Schexnaildre, Mark Allen
Other Authors: Kelley, Mary Lou
Format: Others
Language:en
Published: LSU 2011
Subjects:
Online Access:http://etd.lsu.edu/docs/available/etd-04022011-221554/
Description
Summary:There is a growing area of research that explores the possibility that negative life events could ultimately result in positive outcomes. However, there exists some debate on whether or not children are capable of experiencing such outcomes. The proposed study examined posttraumatic growth (PTG), positive psychological change in the wake of a traumatic event, in a sample of child and adolescent victims of Hurricane Katrina. Specifically, the roles of coping and social support were studied as predictors of PTG. Additionally, the relationship between PTG and posttraumatic stress disorder, which has been shown to be a complex one, was explored. This study used an existing data set of 94 children and adolescents who lived in Southern Louisiana when Hurricane Katrina made landfall.