Factor structure of the Posttraumatic Growth and Posttraumatic Depreciation Inventory — expanded version on the Russian-language sample of relatives of patients with cerebral pathology

BACKGROUND: The occurrence of a serious (disabling) illness in one of the family members and/or the need to provide care for a chronically ill person often becomes a difficult ordeal for his inner circle. However, the impact of traumatic events may also be associated with experiencing positive personal transformations, such as posttraumatic growth. Currently, there is an acute shortage of psychodiagnostic techniques that simultaneously assess both negative (destructive) and positive (developmental) changes in the personal functioning of informal caregiver in situation of chronic illness of a loved one. The creation of valid psychodiagnostic tools is important to form a holistic view of how traumatic events affected person’s values and beliefs.

AIM: Verification of the factor structure of the Posttraumatic Growth and Depreciation Inventory — Expanded version on a Russian-speaking sample of relatives of patients with cerebral pathology.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Validation of factor structure was performed on a sample of relatives of patients with cerebral pathology (n = 151, mean age 51.77; SD = 14.01 years). To determine the structure of the Russian-language version of the Posttraumatic Growth and Depreciation Inventory — Expanded version, factor analysis was used. The suitability of scales, obtained as a result of factor analysis, was calculated using the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient.

RESULTS: The analysis demonstrated the mismatch of the factor structure of the original construct with the factor structure obtained on the Russian-speaking population. A four-factor structure was obtained for both the “Posttraumatic Growth” (PTG) and the “Posttraumatic Depreciation” (PTD) blocks: 1 factor “Inner freedom/harmony” (PTG) — “Inner stiffness/increasing dissonance” (PTD), 2 factor “Energetic fullness of relationships/ability to empathize” (PTG) — “Interpersonal exhaustion” (PTD), 3 factor “Meaningfulness of life” (PTG) — “Loss the meaning of existence/the growth of chaos and emptiness” (PTD), factor 4 “Interpersonal optimism” (PTG) — “Disappointment/skepticism” (PTD). The analysis indicates sufficient reliability (Cronbach’s alpha coefficient) of scales obtained as a result of factor analysis.

CONCLUSIONS: Differences in the factor structure of the original and adapted Posttraumatic Growth and Depreciation Inventory — Expanded versions may indicate the specificity of the Posttraumatic Growth / Posttraumatic Depreciation, depending on the intensity and nature of the traumatic experience. The Russian-language version of the Posttraumatic Growth and Depreciation Inventory — Expanded version obtained during the verification of the factor structure can be used to work with relatives providing assistance and care for seriously and/or chronically ill loved ones.