The aim of this study was to deepen the understanding of psychological mechanisms underlying posttraumatic growth (PTG) in patients following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT).
This procedure, associated with cancer treatment, constitutes an experience with high traumatic potential, carrying a risk of developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but also an opportunity for positive transformation—according to the theory of Tedeschi and Calhoun (1996).
The study involved 94 adult patients after HSCT who completed a set of standardized instruments measuring levels of PTG (PTGI), PTSD symptoms, fatigue (FACIT-Fatigue), as well as sociodemographic and clinical data. A mediation analysis was conducted to examine whether fatigue serves as a mediator in the relationship between PTSD and PTG.
The results indicate moderate to high levels of PTG in the majority of participants. Higher PTG levels were observed among women and individuals with poorer financial status. The mediation analysis revealed that PTSD symptoms have both a positive and a negative impact on posttraumatic growth (PTG). On the one hand, higher levels of PTSD were associated with higher PTG, suggesting that experiencing trauma can lead to positive change. On the other hand, PTSD was linked to chronic fatigue, which in turn lowered the level of posttraumatic growth. Ultimately, these two opposing mechanisms—the positive direct effect and the negative indirect effect—balanced each other out, resulting in no clear overall association between PTSD and PTG. This pattern is referred to as a suppression effect and indicates that fatigue may “mask” the potential positive outcomes of psychological adaptation after trauma.
The findings highlight the complex nature of the relationships between PTSD symptoms, fatigue, and posttraumatic growth (PTG). They suggest that chronic fatigue may diminish the transformative potential of trauma and act as a barrier to growth following a difficult experience.