Bryngeirsdottir, Hulda S.Halldorsdottir, Sigridur2025-11-142025-11-142021-10-28Bryngeirsdottir, H S & Halldorsdottir, S 2021, 'The challenging journey from trauma to post-traumatic growth : Lived experiences of facilitating and hindering factors', Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences, vol. 36, no. 3, pp. 752-768. https://doi.org/10.1111/scs.130370283-931868368200054e1b1f-0ec3-43e8-bdfe-9dfbfedc49468511817995434709685000711947600001ORCID: /0000-0003-0629-4428/work/102209842unpaywall: 10.1111/scs.13037https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11815/5829Publisher Copyright: © 2021 The Authors. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Nordic College of Caring Science.Background: Many people experience psychological trauma during their lifetime, often negatively affecting their mental and physical health. Post-traumatic growth is a positive psychological change that may occur in an individual after having processed and coped with trauma. This journey, however, has not been studied enough. Aim: The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore people's experience of suffering psychological trauma, the personal effects of the trauma and the transition from trauma to post-traumatic growth. Methods: A purposeful sample of seven women and five men, aged 34–52, were selected whose backgrounds and history of trauma varied, but who had all experienced post-traumatic growth. One to two interviews were conducted with each one, in all 14 interviews. Results: This study introduces a unique mapping of the challenging journey from trauma to post-traumatic growth through lived experiences of people who have experienced trauma as well as post-traumatic growth. Participants had different trauma experience, but their suffering shaped them all as persons and influenced their wellbeing, health and view of life. Participants described post-traumatic growth as a journey, rather than a destination. There was a prologue to their journey which some described as a hindering factor while others felt it was a good preparation for post-traumatic growth, i.e. to overcome difficulties at an early age. Participants described six main influencing factors on their post-traumatic growth, both facilitating and hindering ones. They also described the positive personal changes they had undergone when experiencing post-traumatic growth even though the epilogue also included heavy days. A new theoretical definition of post-traumatic growth was constructed from the findings. Conclusion: The results suggest that the journey to post-traumatic growth includes a recovery process and certain influencing factors that must be considered. This information has implications for professionals treating and supporting people who have suffered traumas.17966377752-768eninfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessphenomenologypost-traumatic growthpsychosocial nursingpublic healthqualitative approachesqualitative interviewsrehabilitationtraumaHumansMalePosttraumatic Growth, PsychologicalFemaleAnxietyQualitative ResearchAdaptation, PsychologicalPublic Health, Environmental and Occupational Health/dk/atira/pure/researchoutput/researchoutputtypes/contributiontojournal/article10.1111/scs.13037