Investigation of posttraumatic growth and some related variables from terror management theory perspective

While Terror Management Theory (TMT) discusses individuals experiencing anxiety when confronted with their own mortality, Posttraumatic Growth (PTG) refers to the positive psychological changes that occur in individuals following life crises. In the literature, it is observed that these two theories, which are generally studied with individuals who have traumatic experiences, are not addressed together with individuals who are vicariously traumatized. This study examines PTG, death anxiety, and coping styles with stress between individuals who are vicariously traumatized and individuals with increased death awareness. The sample of the study consists of three different groups: the vicarious trauma group, the scenario group, and the dental pain group. The vicarioustrauma group consists of participants who are chronically exposed to trauma due to their professions. The scenario group included individuals who are not vicariously traumatized, and they were given a death-reflection story. Similarly, individuals who are not vicariously traumatized were included in the dental pain group, and they were asked to think about dental pain. In this context, the Death Anxiety Scale, Posttraumatic Growth Scale, and Coping Styles with Stress Scale were administered to all participants. The findings indicate that women reported higher levels of PTG, the vicarious trauma group had higher levels of PTG, and the scenario group reported high levels of death anxiety. It was also observed that individuals who used effective coping styles with stress had higher levels of PTG. These findings are discussed in light of the literature.