Graduation Semester and Year
2023
Language
English
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Social Work
Department
Social Work
First Advisor
Donna L Schuman
Abstract
Upon examining combat veterans’ psychological responses to combat-related trauma, two emerged for consideration: posttraumatic growth (PTG) through making meaning out of a traumatic experience and a positive outcome or change, and posttraumatic depreciation (PTD) an inability to make meaning of a traumatic experience and a negative outcome or change. Understanding how PTG and PTD converge, diverge, and impact an individual is crucial in supporting a veteran’s journey to health and well-being. A comparative study of the cases of two Marine combat veterans who served during OEF/OIF offers numerous similarities: both are in the millennial cohort; both are part of a group becoming the fastest-growing rate of death by suicide in our Nation’s history; both served extended tours; both experienced combat trauma; both experienced posttraumatic stress; both experienced challenges with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) system; both experienced challenges with substance use upon their return home; both struggled to reintegrate back into civilian life; and both became fathers. However, their outcomes to trauma were radically different. One Marine expanded, grew, and persisted in a thriving life. In contrast, one Marine declined, depreciated, and terminated in a suicide death. Since individuals typically report PTG and PTD following a traumatic event as independent experiences, different processes leading to growth and depreciation infer distinct underlying variables. In sum, “the well-being, or sense of life meaning, a person experiences after dealing with a stressful event can best be understood by understanding both the growth and the depreciation the person has experienced” (Cann et al., 2010, p. 164).
Keywords
Posttraumatic growth, Posttraumatic depreciation, Suicide, Veterans, Military
Disciplines
Social and Behavioral Sciences | Social Work
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Williams, Dayton, "CONVERGING AND DIVERGING OUTCOMES OF POSTTRAUMATIC GROWTH (PTG) AND POSTTRAUMATIC DEPRECIATION (PTD) IN COMBAT VETERANS: A CASE STUDY" (2023). Social Work Theses. 193.
https://mavmatrix.uta.edu/socialwork_theses/193
Comments
Degree granted by The University of Texas at Arlington