Posttraumatic growth in veterans and determination of affecting factors

Introduction: Post-traumatic growth is defined as the positive character development that occurs in an individual after a traumatic event. The aim of the study was to investigate the factors affecting posttraumatic growth in veterans. Methods: Our study was carried out with 57 male veterans at association of "Turkiye Harp Malulu Gaziler, Sehit, Dul ve Yetimleri Dernegi" in Istanbul and Ankara and it is a cross-sectional and descriptive study. The data of the study was collected by Data Collection Form which was established by the researcher to determine socio-demographic characteristics, Posttraumatic Growth Inventory, Effect of Events Scale, Coping with Stress Scale, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and Multidimensional Perceived Social Support Scale. Results: When the Post-Traumatic Growth Inventory scores of the participants were calculated, it was found that the participants scored 30.9 points from the Change in Self-Perception, 16.7 points from the Change in Life Philosophy, and 12.1 points from the Change in Relations with Others sub-dimension. It was determined that post-traumatic growth in veterans was affected by the type of damage left by the event, avoidance and disturbing thoughts of post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms, optimistic and self-confident approach coping styles, and a significant proportion of participants perceived social support. Conclusions and recommendations: Posttraumatic growth in terms of the veterans population in Turkey was examined in our study is one of the few studies and moderate development in veterans determined. It was determined that this development was affected by the social support perceived by veterans, their coping styles, symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and some demographic characteristics. Key words: Veterans, Posttraumatic growth, Posttraumatic stress disorder, Stress management, Perceived social support