A hypothesised model and theoretical issues related to posttraumatic stress disorder in physical illnesses

Abstract

AbstractChapter 10 aims to identify knowledge gaps from existing research, to formulate overarching research questions, and to create a hypothesized model. The model is structured based on the research gaps of whether posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) subtypes should be considered in patients with chronic illness, whether the interaction between personality and coping strategies would moderate the association between cumulative trauma and distress outcomes, including PTSD subtypes, and whether a distorted self would influence the complex interaction between cumulative trauma and personality and coping risk factors in people who have experienced PTSD associated with a physical illness. To address posttraumatic growth, another research gap is how people with physical illnesses may experience growth when they experience a distorted self structure, and how illusory growth may contribute to triggering growth in patients with PTSD who suffer from their illnesses and a distorted self. The final research gap is how a family can cope with or reduce the demands of the cumulative effects of PTSD and the secondary traumatic effects of various family members, change their appraisal of the current situation, and restore homeostasis within a family.