POSTTRAUMATIC GROWTH IN THE CONTEXT OF ILLNESS

Posttraumatic Growth (PTG) has been studied in a variety of contexts, including in the context of physical and mental illness. For an illness to have the potential to lead to PTG, it must be deemed a trauma. This chapter highlights how illness may be considered a trauma both subjectively and clinically, and its aspects (e.g., threat to life, disability, changes in roles, stigma) that make it potentially traumatic. The chapter further discusses illness and PTG and presents an overview of literature examining modifiable and non-modifiable factors related to PTG across different illnesses and interventions that aim to cultivate PTG for both adult and pediatric populations. Lastly, the role of PTG specifically in the context of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is addressed.