Factors associated with post-traumatic growth in male patients with rectal cancer: A cross-sectional study

Post-traumatic growth, depression and anxiety among hemodialysis patients: a latent profile analysis

Hemodialysis is the primary life-sustaining treatment for patients with end-stage kidney disease, which can result in a range of negative reactions (e.g. depression and anxiety) and positive change (e.g. post-traumatic growth, PTG). To further understand the post-traumatic response patterns of patients who are going through hemodialysis, dividing them into homogeneous subgroups helps to uncover hidden information. This cross-sectional study evaluated 274 patients (172 males and 102 females) undergoing hemodialysis at a tertiary hospital between October and November 2022. Latent profile analysis (LPA) was used to identify subgroups of patients based on their PTG, depression, and anxiety. The results identified three profiles: post-traumatic depression (n = 90, 32.9%), general moderate growth (n = 116, 42.3%) and high appreciation-power (n = 68, 24.8%). The classification quality was good (Entropy = 0.86). Univariate and multiple logistic regression analysis were conducted to test potential influencing factors. Furthermore, Back propagation (BP) neural network model was employed to examine the ranking of influencing factors across different profiles. Perceived health control (100.0%), social network (83.4%), meaning in life (70.2%), self-disclosure (64.4%), self-rated health (45.0%), and exercise (31.4%) were identified as differential predictors of profile members (all p < 0.05), listed in order base on their degrees of influence. The findings revealed the heterogeneity of post-traumatic response patterns in hemodialysis patients, categorizing their post-traumatic responses into three distinct patterns. In the future, in the treatment and care of hemodialysis patients, it will be more meaningful to provide targeted interventions for the different characteristics of patients' PTG, depression and anxiety.

Correlated factors of posttraumatic growth in patients with colorectal cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Objectives

This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to identify and synthesize the factors correlated with posttraumatic growth (PTG) in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC).

Methods

PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang database, China Science and Technology Journal Database (VIP) and SinoMed were searched for studies that reported data on the correlated factors associated with PTG in patients with CRC from inception to September 3, 2024. The methodological quality of the included studies was assessed via the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) methodology checklist and the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). Pearson correlation coefficient (r) was utilized to indicate effect size. Meta-analysis was conducted in R Studio.

Results

Thirty-one eligible studies encompassing 6,400 participants were included in this review. Correlated factors were identified to be significantly associated with PTG in patients with CRC including demographic factors: residential area (r = 0.13), marital status (r = 0.10), employment status (r = 0.18), education level (r = 0.19), income level (r = 0.16); disease-related factors: time since surgery (r = 0.17), stoma-related complications (r = 0.14), health-promoting behavior (r = 0.46), and sexual function (r = 0.17); psychosocial factors: confrontation coping (r = 0.68), avoidance coping (r = -0.65), deliberate rumination (r = 0.56), social support (r = 0.47), family function (r = 0.50), resilience (r = 0.53), self-efficacy (r = 0.91), self-compassion (r = -0.32), psychosocial adjustment (r = 0.39), gratitude (r = 0.45), stigma (r = -0.65), self-perceived burden (r = -0.31), fear of cancer recurrence (r = -0.45); and quality of life (r = 0.32).

Conclusions

This meta-analysis identified 23 factors associated with PTG in CRC patients. Medical workers can combine those relevant factors from the perspective of positive psychology, further explore the occurrence and development mechanism of PTG, and establish targeted interventions to promote PTG.

Relationship among post-traumatic growth, spiritual well-being, and perceived social support in Chinese women with gynecological cancer

This study aimed to examine the correlation between post-traumatic growth (PTG), spiritual well-being (SWB), perceived social support (PSS), and demographic and clinical factors in Chinese gynecological cancer patients. Through convenience sampling, we conducted a cross-sectional study of 771 adult patients with gynecological cancer. The European Organization for Research and Treatment for Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Spiritual Well-being 32 (EORTC QLQ-SWB32), Post-traumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI), and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) were used to measure SWB, PTG, and PSS. A Multiple Linear Regression Model was used to determine the possible factors contributing to PTG. The subscale with the highest centesimal score in the PTGI was the Appreciation of Life Scale, and the lowest was New Possibility. Gynecologic cancer patients with younger ages (B =  - 0.313, P = 0.002), perceived more family support (B = 1.289, P < 0.001), had more existential (B = 0.865, P = 0.010), and had religious belief (B = 5.760, P = 0.034) may have more PTG. Spiritual well-being, perceived social support, younger age, and religious beliefs are associated with post-traumatic growth in gynecological cancer patients. Healthcare staff could provide more professional support to younger patients with religious beliefs. Promoting social support and spiritual well-being could potentially serve as effective interventions for boosting PTG among gynecological cancer.

Factors Associated with Post-Traumatic Growth during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review

The COVID-19 pandemic was an unprecedented event that further stimulated the debate on the concept of trauma. To increase knowledge about the traumatic potential of the pandemic, the main objective of this study was to identify, through a systematic literature review, the main factors associated with the adaptive outcome of post-traumatic growth caused by COVID-19. Studies were selected from the PsychInfo, Embase, and PubMed databases, and 29 articles were included at the end of the screening process. The identified factors are of different natures, including personal variables such as personality traits, coping, and cognitive strategies used to face adversity, and interpersonal variables, one of the most important of which is the level of social support. In addition, several results confirmed a relationship between post-traumatic growth and post-traumatic stress symptoms, as well as indices related to psychological well-being. Finally, the results are discussed by comparing them with those already present in the literature, as well as with some of the main explanatory models of post-traumatic growth. In this regard, some of the factors identified, such as maladaptive coping, avoidance symptoms, optimism, and low-stress tolerance, suggest the possibility that the process of post-traumatic growth may also be characterized by an illusory dimension.

Posttraumatic growth in colorectal cancer survivors: A systematic review

OBJECTIVE

The diagnosis of cancer is an adverse event; nevertheless, it can also exert positive changes on survivors, such as posttraumatic growth (PTG). This review aims to integrate researches on PTG in colorectal cancer (CRC) survivors, including manifestations and prevalence of PTG, factors associated with PTG and interventions on PTG.

METHODS

A systematic search was implemented on six databases to identify studies on PTG in CRC survivors published in English or Chinese from October 1995 to May 2022. We also performed a manual search for additional studies from the article reference lists.

RESULTS

Thirty-one studies were included. The results were integrated based on the PTG theoretical framework and PTG affective-cognitive processing model. PTG manifests in CRC survivor-caregiver dyads in five domains, including personal growth, appreciation of life, relating to others, new possibilities and spiritual change. Factors correlated with PTG can be integrated into levels of personality, event cognitions, appraisal mechanisms, emotional states, coping and social environmental context. Elements of interventions can be integrated according to the affective-cognitive processing PTG model. Existing interventions are effective in promoting PTG in CRC survivors.

CONCLUSION

We provide a systematic perspective on studies targeting PTG in CRC survivors. PTG manifested in survivor-caregiver dyads. Factors associated with PTG in CRC survivors are significant, and the interventions are effective. An intervention programme based on the affective-cognitive processing model and focused on CRC survivor-caregiver dyads would be significant for the dyads facing cancer.