Posttraumatic growth after stroke: A longitudinal observational study.

Purpose/objective: This study investigated the development of posttraumatic growth (PTG) in relatively young persons with stroke. It examined the contribution of potential predictive variables and their changes over time.

Research method/design: Participants completed questionnaires at baseline (n = 78, median time since injury = 47 days) and 3 (n = 53) and 6 months (n = 47) later. Each assessment included the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory, the COPE Inventory, and the Centrality of Event Scale. Data were analyzed using a sequence of linear mixed effect models.

Results: PTG was evident at baseline, but did not significantly increase over time. Higher event centrality, approach-oriented coping, and lower coping flexibility at baseline were associated with higher PTG 6 months later. Higher coping flexibility at baseline and an increase in event centrality were associated with a more positive trend in PTG over time. The final model explained 67% of variance in PTG. Time since injury, age, gender, social support seeking, and avoidance coping did not contribute significantly.

Conclusion/implications: Individual changes in the predictors contributed to high and stable PTG. How central the stroke was perceived to one's identity was the most important predictor for the absolute level of PTG as well as its change over time. This illustrates the complex and dynamic development of PTG. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).