Post-traumatic growth, anxiety, and depression after the death of a loved one in Latin America: A latent class analysis

Abstract

Background and Objectives

Depression and anxiety are common symptoms among individuals who have experienced the death of a loved one; however, their relationship with post-traumatic growth in this population has rarely been examined. This study aimed to identify distinct profiles of post-traumatic growth, depression, and anxiety symptoms in a sample of individuals from Latin America who had experienced the loss of a loved one.

Method

A total of 2,572 participants from various Latin American countries took part in this study. The Patient Health Questionnaire-4 and the 8-item Posttraumatic Growth Inventory–Short Form were administered. Latent Class Analysis (LCA) was conducted to identify symptom profiles among individuals who had experienced bereavement.

Results

Five distinct profiles were identified: Growth, Average, Combined, Resilient, and Distress. Additionally, factors such as age, gender, time since the loss, and relationship to the deceased were found to differentially influence the patterns of post-traumatic growth, depression, and anxiety.

Conclusion

These findings contribute to the limited body of evidence on the coexistence of anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic growth, illustrating that post-traumatic growth may emerge regardless of the presence or absence of other psychological symptoms in a Latin American context.