Outcomes of COVID-19: Posttraumatic growth and emotion-focused coping among U.S. Veterans

Abstract:Female veterans are currently the fastest growing population of veterans in the United States (Department of Veterans Affairs, 2022) and have a higher prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than male veterans (Na et al., 2021), yet there has been limited research done on this population. Females have also been found to experience more posttraumatic growth (PTG) than males (Kalaitzaki, 2021; Prieto-Ursa & Jordar, 2020; Yildiz, 2021). Furthermore, women's use of emotion-focused coping strategies has been shown to play a role in increasing experiences of PTG during the COVID-19 pandemic (Chu-Si & Yunhwan, 2022). Yet, while research has examined the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic among veterans with PTSD and found increased levels of PTG among male veterans (Na et al., 2021), they have not focused on how gender plays into coping strategies among veteran populations that result in increased PTG. This quantitative study compared female- and male-identified U.S. veterans with PTSD, their use of emotion-focused coping strategies, and experiences of PTG within the first year following the COVID-19 pandemic. All analyses showed statistically significant results including a correlation between the use of emotion-focused coping and PTG among the sample. Of note, female-identified veterans endorsed higher levels of PTG and, contrary to the predicted outcome, male-identified veterans utilized more emotion-focused coping strategies. This research examined how to further support effective treatment of PTSD among veterans and the COVID-19 pandemic provided a unique opportunity to study the reactivation of trauma among this population. Based on the findings, implications and future research directions were discussed. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA (https://aura.antioch.edu) and OhioLINK ETD Center (https://etd.ohiolink.edu).