Klenkova A.D., Faustova A.G. Through illness to growth: a content analytical study of post-traumatic growth in cancer patients

Analysis of domestic and foreign studies shows that the presence or absence of post-traumatic growth is interconnected with the following clinical, biological and psychological factors: the stage of the oncological disease, the type of treatment, the time since diagnosis, the severity of post-traumatic stress reactions. To date, relatively few studies have been conducted on the manifestations of post-traumatic growth in cancer patients.

The purpose of this work was to identify and classify the manifestations of post-traumatic growth in cancer patients using the content analysis method.

The study involved 50 people (21 men, 29 women) aged 34 to 50 years. The study was conducted using the author's semi-structured interview. The data were analyzed using content analysis. Five main areas of post-traumatic growth described in the concept of R. Tedeschi and L. Calhoun were selected as categories of analysis: life assessment; relationships with others; personal strength; new opportunities; spiritual, existential, or philosophical changes. In each category, structural units of analysis were identified that allow for a more detailed examination of the phenomenon under study.

It was found that the most common manifestations of post-traumatic growth are from the categories of “new opportunities” and “increased value of life”. Relative frequency analysis was used to better understand the prevalence and intensity of post-traumatic growth manifestations. Up to 40% of the patient sample demonstrated a high frequency of mentions of specific categories, while about 60% of patients from the other sample indicated a wider range of positive changes, but less intense, which indicates the complexity and versatility of the phenomenon of post-traumatic growth. The introduction of a new approach to understanding the stress response can contribute to the development of comprehensive psychological support and rehabilitation programs.

Key words: post-traumatic growth, post-traumatic stress, traumatic stressor, cancer patients, content analysis

For citation: Klenkova, A.D., Faustova, A.G. (2025). Through illness to growth: a content analytical study of post-traumatic growth in cancer patients. New Psychological Research, No. 1, 206–225. DOI: 10.51217/npsyresearch_2025_05_01_09