The interaction of post-traumatic growth and post-traumatic stress symptoms in predicting depressive symptoms and quality of life.

OBJECTIVE We sought to explore whether post-traumatic growth (PTG) (positive change or benefit finding resulting from trauma) moderates relationships between post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and both depression and quality of life (QOL) among breast cancer survivors. METHODS We interviewed 161 women previously treated for early stage breast cancer. We assessed PTG using the Post-traumatic Growth Inventory, PTSS using the PTSD Checklist, depressive symptoms using the CES-D and QOL using the FACT-B. RESULTS Higher PTSS was associated with greater depressive symptoms and lower QOL (p<0.01). The relationship between PTSS and depression was attenuated among women with higher levels of PTG (PTSS x PTG interaction, p<0.05). The same pattern of results was found for QOL (interaction p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS We report the novel finding that PTG moderated relationships between PTSS and both depression and QOL. We speculate that finding positive meaning in response to a distressing event, such as diagnosis of cancer, may be psychologically protective and could indirectly influence the long-term occurrence of depressive symptoms and impaired QOL.