Cumulative trauma exposure and post-traumatic stress symptoms among older adults in South Africa : does post-traumatic growth moderate this link?

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Date

Authors

Matamela, Nyambeni A.
Wyatt, Gail
Oduntan, Yemisi
Johnson, Cameron Dale

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Routledge

Abstract

The study explored the interplay between PTG and PTSS in older South African adults exposed to trauma. A quantitative cross-sectional design was employed. 195 participants from a low-resourced setting in South Africa were interviewed using the UCLA Life Adversities Screener, the PTSD Checklist (DSM-5), and the PTG-Inventory. Hayes Model SPSS Macro PROCESS for moderation was used. Overall, the relationship between cumulative trauma exposure and PTSS was moderated by the PTG level (b = -0.09, SE = 0.04, p = .0113). The findings suggest that cumulative trauma exposure is a significant predictor of PTSS, and the relationship is moderated by the threshold level of PTG. Higher levels of PTG mitigated the effect of cumulative trauma exposure on PTSS.

Description

Keywords

South Africa (SA), Moderation, Older adults, Post-traumatic growth (PTG), Post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), Trauma, SDG-03: Good health and well-being

Sustainable Development Goals

SDG-03:Good heatlh and well-being

Citation

Nyambeni A. Matamela, Gail Wyatt, Yemisi Oduntan & Cameron Dale Johnson (2024) Cumulative Trauma Exposure and Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms Among Older Adults in South Africa: Does Post-Traumatic Growth Moderate This Link?, Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma, 33:10, 1212-1227, DOI: 10.1080/10926771.2024.2394086.