ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces posttraumatic stress resulting from physical, emotional, or spiritual trauma as a possible antecedent to posttraumatic growth (PTG), which can occur in the years following a traumatic event and subsequent posttraumatic stress. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a topic and mental health problem that has usually been associated with behavioral research in veterans who have experienced combat-related stresses. It became an official mental health diagnosis in 1980 after centuries of notable descriptions by medical professionals of a variety of symptoms observed in soldiers during and after many wars around the globe. Posttraumatic growth is introduced as a possibility in people who have experienced PTSD. This book is about PTG, and PTSD is a precursor to PTG.
