Posttraumatic Growth (PTG) is a phenomenon in which some individuals who experience trauma report positive development in various aspects of their lives that surpassed their pre-trauma level of functioning (Tedeschi & Calhoun, 1996; 2004). PTG has been investigated in various populations of trauma survivors, including people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) (Milam, 2002, 2004). Until this point, the research has only focused on PTG and its correlates as an outcome variable in PLWHA, however additional studies are needed to develop a better understanding of the process of PTG in PLWHA (Milam, 2006b). The current study examined the extent to which the theoretical precursors to PTG (Tedeschi & Calhoun, 2004) exist across PLWHA who report higher or lower levels of PTG. In addition, the current study attempted to address the gaps in the literature by exploring positive changes in PLWHA using a discernable theoretical framework (PTG; Tedeschi & Calhoun, 1996), a standardized assessment of growth (Posttraumatic Growth Inventory [PTGI]; Tedeschi & Calhoun, 1996), and a theoretically based qualitative methodology (grounded theory; Strauss & Corbin, 1998). The current study also explored the process for developing PTG in PLWHA by comparing the differences in coping, quality of life, and meaning-making in PLWHA who report higher or lower levels of PTG.
Results were based on a sample of PLWHA (N = 109) who completed questionnaires. Participants were screened into higher-PTG (n = 8) and lower-PTG (n =
8) groups based on PTGI total growth scores, and invited to complete semi-structured interviews. The results of this study indicated that there were few discernible differences in personal narratives between the higher- and lower-PTG groups. The participants from both higher- and lower-PTG groups met criteria for the precursors of PTG. During the interviews, participants from both higher- and lower-PTG groups reported factors of PTG in their daily lives and the number of lower-PTG participants who reported each factor was similar to the number of higher-PTG participants endorsing that particular factor. Therefore, the presence or absence of theoretical precursors to PTG, and the factors of PTG, in the participants’ self-reported narratives were not predicted by their scores on the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI; Tedeschi & Calhoun, 1996). In addition to leading to some questions about PTG and the PTGI, the results of the current study demonstrate the challenges of data analysis in a mixed method design where there is a lack of convergence in the quantitative and qualitative data.