Service provider perceptions of posttraumatic growth experienced by service users receiving treatment for a first episode of psychosis

Youth can experience improved psychological changes (i.e., posttraumatic growth, or PTG) following the onset of psychosis. Case managers play an important role in the treatment of first episode psychosis but may be unaware that PTG occurs, a topic that has yet to be explored. This study compared service users’ PTG following a first episode of psychosis and case managers’ perceptions of service users’ PTG. Service users receiving treatment for a first episode of psychosis and their case managers completed separate versions of the PTG inventory. Service users’ ratings were higher than case managers’ on the PTG inventory subscales measuring appreciation of life, new possibilities, personal strength, and religious/spiritual change. Case managers may lack an awareness of service users’ PTG. Early intervention services seeking to facilitate PTG may require greater training on how to best recognize and facilitate it.