Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms and Posttraumatic Growth Among College Students With a History of Childhood Maltreatment in China: A Latent Profile Analysis

Background: Childhood maltreatment is prevalent in China, and research indicates that trauma-exposed individuals may exhibit concurrent negative and positive posttraumatic psychological responses. Objective: To examine the co-occurring patterns of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and posttraumatic growth (PTG) among college students in China having a history of childhood maltreatment. Method: Participants (N = 2,968) were college students from China who had experienced childhood maltreatment and had completed the PTSD Checklist, a PTG inventory, and a childhood maltreatment questionnaire. Results: The results revealed four heterogeneous profiles characterized by low symptoms (n = 666, 22.4%), growth (n = 960, 32.3%), struggle (n = 1,285, 43.3%), and distress (n = 57, 1.9%). The three-step approach revealed emotional abuse and sexual abuse as crucial risk factors for the distress profile. In addition, age, sex, parental education, and forms of childhood maltreatment play distinctive roles in the four profiles of posttraumatic reactions. Conclusion: Posttraumatic reactions exhibit heterogeneous characteristics among Chinese college students exposed to childhood maltreatment, and professionals provide the service targeting their needs.