Posttraumatic Growth in Prisoners of War

Abstract

Introduction: Numerous studies have shown that imprisonment is often an extremely traumatic experience, which is characterized by the exposure of the detained person to long-term and repeated traumatization, that is, to a series of traumatic events and situations of different characters. Because of its peculiarities, captivity is considered one of the most difficult human experiences. It is well known that being in captivity leads to significant negative consequences for mental health, the most significant of which is the development of post-traumatic stress disorder, as well as other mental disorders. Impaired mental health also leads to dysfunction in various areas of life and a significant decline in the quality of life. In addition to the pathological consequences of exposure to traumatic events, research has confirmed that various forms of traumatization can lead to positive consequences.

Objective: The objective of this work is to show that post-traumatic growth, that is, positive changes after a traumatic experience, is possible even after the most difficult traumatic experiences, such as the experience of wartime captivity.

Materials and methods: An extensive literature search was conducted on PubMed and Google Scholar. Using keywords, related terms and different combinations of them, the most relevant works dealing with the positive consequences of psychotrauma, i.e. imprisonment, were selected.

Results and conclusion: For persons who have experienced wartime captivity, the experience of trauma, which is specific in many ways and leads to serious negative psychological consequences, can also lead to positive consequences of trauma. Research indicates that positive consequences do not reduce the pathological outcomes of trauma, and the development of positive changes is influenced by various factors.