Longitudinal linkages between posttraumatic stress disorder and posttraumatic growth in adolescent survivors following the Wenchuan earthquake in China: A three-wave, cross-lagged study

• We examine the longitudinal relationships between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and posttraumatic growth (PTG).
• Two hundred and forty five adolescent survivors were randomly selected from several primary and secondary schools in the counties of Wenchuan.
• PTSD and PTG can coexist in individuals after a traumatic experience.
• The reduction in PTSD symptom severity does not indicate the appearance of PTG.

The aim of this study is to examine the longitudinal relationships between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and posttraumatic growth (PTG) among adolescent survivors of the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake in China. The participants in our study included 245 adolescent survivors who were randomly selected from several primary and secondary schools in the counties of Wenchuan, which are the areas most severely affected by the Wenchuan earthquake. Participants completed the Revised Child PTSD Symptom Scale and the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI) at 3.5 years after the earthquake (T1), 4.5 years after the earthquake (T2), and 5.5 years after the earthquake (T3). The results found that PTSD reported in T1 and T2 predicted subsequent PTG reported at T2 and T3 and that PTG did not predict PTSD from T1 to T3. In addition, the cross-sectional correlation between PTSD and PTG weakened from T1 to T3. These results indicate that PTSD and PTG can coexist in individuals after a traumatic experience, and they further suggest that the reduction in PTSD does not indicate the appearance of PTG.