Patterns and transitions of posttraumatic stress symptoms and posttraumatic growth in trauma-exposed youth: A latent transition analysis.

Abstract

The present study examined the transition patterns in latent classes of Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and post-traumatic growth among a sample of youth 4-13 months after an explosion accident in China. Latent profile analyses identified consistent three classes (Resilient, Growing, and High-Symptom) at both waves. Latent transition analysis found most Resilient individuals remained stable while most Growing and High-symptom individuals transferred. Logistic regression predicting transition pathways suggests younger individuals, males, and those who lack social support are prone to experience reduced post-traumatic growth, whereas individuals with higher trauma exposure are prone to develop PTSD. Our study provides empirical evidence supporting qualitative transitions in PTSD and post-traumatic growth levels from a person-centred perspective. This adds to the current knowledge on the heterogeneity of post-traumatic responses of human beings and offers valuable guidance for post-traumatic interventions among youths.