Posttraumatic Growth in United States Military Veterans

Abstract

PTSD's prevalence in U.S. military veterans requires a greater understanding of the disorder as well as knowledge of the concept of PTG. PTG has been described as a positive outcome from a traumatic experience (Tedeschi & Calhoun, 1996). Research on PTG found that veterans that were married, had strong social support, identified as being a minority, and participated in various trauma-related therapies reported higher levels of PTG. The purpose of this systematic review was to determine the contributing factors of PTG in U.S. military veterans. Knowledge of the contributing factors, signs, and facilitation of PTG is important in relation to the strengths-based perspective of social work practice.