PTSD: Assistant Prof Lisa Marie Abel will present on Vicarious Posttraumatic Growth Predictors at The 17th International Mental Health Conference
PTSD: We are pleased to announce Assistant Prof Lisa Marie Abel, Bond University as a Speaker at The 17th International Mental Health Conference to be held 10-12 August 2016 on the Gold Coast.
Lisa will be presenting on: ‘Phoenix Rising: Vicarious Posttraumatic Growth Predictors in an Australian Sample’
The majority of research for posttraumatic growth has focused on those who have experienced trauma directly and/or has focused on those who have been chronically exposed due to the nature of their profession. Therefore, the focus of the current study was on laypersons' experience of growth in the wake of single-episode vicarious trauma exposure. The aim of this study was to assess the predictive utility of intrinsic religiosity, dispositional empathy, fantasy-proneness and absorption in relation to vicarious post-traumatic growth in an Australian sample not chronically exposed to trauma.
In the study participants (N = 75; Female n = 58; Male n = 18; Mean age = 42 years; SD = 13 years) completed measures of vicarious posttraumatic growth, religiosity, empathy, fantasy-proneness, absorption and social desirability.
The overall model was significant at Step 4 after controlling for social desirability, indicating the combination of intrinsic religiosity, dispositional empathy, fantasy-proneness and absorption explained 16.1% variance of vicarious posttraumatic growth (F (5,69) = 2.64, p = .31). Of the four individual difference factors assessed for vicarious posttraumatic growth, intrinsic religious belief was the only significant predictor accounting for 8.7% unique variance (β = 1.60, t(1, 72) = 2.65, p = .01, sr2 = .30).
Lisa will present results that indicated empathy, fantasy-proneness and absorption, combined with intrinsic religious belief, play a small but facilitative role in the subjective experience of growth in the wake of vicarious exposure to a trauma event. Limitations and future directions for research will be discussed.
Lisa Marie Abel (B.Psych.Sc. (Hons), MPsych. (Clinical), Ph.D. (Psych.), MAPS) is an Assistant Professor in the School of Psychology at Bond University; she also works in private practice as a psychologist. Lisa has a research and clinical interest in the impact of trauma on coping, adjustment and relationship functioning.
PTSD will be discussed at The 17th International Mental Health Conference; Guiding the Change to be held at the brand new Sea World Resort Conference Centre on the Gold Coast, from the 11 -12 August 2016. To register your attendance at the conference CLICK HERE.
This conference brings together leading clinical practitioners, academics, service providers and mental health experts to deliberate and discuss Mental Health issues confronting Australia and New Zealand.
The conference program will be designed to challenge, inspire, demonstrate and encourage participants while facilitating discussion. To view the Program CLICK HERE.
