Cognitive orientation is predictive of posttraumatic growth after secondary exposure to trauma

The purpose of the study was to explore the motivational basis for posttraumatic growth following secondary trauma among rescuers, nurses, and rehabilitation teams. The authors chose the framework of the cognitive orientation theory, which defines motivation as a function of beliefs of four types (about goals, norms, oneself, and reality) relevant to themes identified with posttraumatic growth. Regression analyses showed that the majority of variables associated with posttraumatic growth were predicted by the scores of the four belief types and thematic factors. These findings support the validity of cognitive orientation theory for assessing motivation for growth following secondary exposure to trauma.