A Meta-analytic Review of the Relationship Between Posttraumatic Growth, Anxiety, and Depression

The present meta-analysis consolidated research examining how posttraumatic growth relates to global anxiety and depression. Articles were identified by searching PTSDpubs, PsycINFO, PubMed, and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses databases, as well as searching the reference sections of relevant review articles. Meta-analytic review of 129 included studies indicated that neither overall posttraumatic growth nor its subcomponents were meaningfully associated with symptoms of depression and anxiety when the literature was considered in aggregate, as effect sizes for these relationships were generally weak ( ≤|.10|) and/or bordered on zero. The moderator analysis indicated significant heterogeneity in effects. The pattern of results indicated that depression was more strongly associated with less posttraumatic growth in samples with cancer compared to samples without cancer, while certain facets of posttraumatic growth were related to greater anxiety in non-cancer samples, though the effect sizes for these relationships remained small. The present findings support the perspective that outcomes representing positive functioning are separable and not dependent on the absence of mental illness. Future research should identify moderators of the relationships between posttraumatic growth and symptoms of anxiety and depression.