What promotes post traumatic growth? A systematic review

People who experience major life crises often report post-traumatic stress. However, the literature suggests that traumatic experiences can also be ``catalysts'' for positive change (i.e., posttraumatic growth; PTG). PTG (Calhoun & Tedeschi, 2006) can include improved relationships, new possibilities for one's life, a greater appreciation for life, a greater sense of personal strength, and spiritual development. While the general population isn't confronted with traumatic events regularly, individuals such as firefighters, policemen, and EMTs are. But what factors foster the emergence of PTG? To answer this question, a systematic search of four major database (Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection, PsycARTICLES, PsycINFO, and ScienceDirect) was conducted. Some of the factors that promoted PTG included sharing negative emotions, cognitive processing or rumination, positive coping strategies (e.g. positive reappraisal), personality traits (e.g. agreeableness), experiencing multiple sources of trauma, event centrality, resilience, and growth actions. Other factors were mediators of PTG rather than direct influencers (e.g., seeking social support coping, social support, optimism, etc.). Finally, studies show a positive correlation between PTG and support for aggressive behavior suggesting that growth may be more nuanced than originally thought. By exploring systematically the factors that foster PTG in trauma-exposed professionals, we hope this systematic review will both provide avenues for future research and help design new methods of prevention and intervention for first responders. (C) 2020 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.