Unstable Perceived Posttraumatic Changes Among College Students With Childhood Maltreatment Experiences

ABSTRACT Perceived posttraumatic changes are considered to be individually heterogeneous and unstable. The present study investigated the transitions in perceived posttraumatic changes (posttraumatic growth [PTG] and posttraumatic depreciation [PTD]) among college students with childhood maltreatment experiences from a person‐centred perspective. Furthermore, we examined the predictors and outcomes of these transitions. 2366 Chinese college students with childhood maltreatment experiences (46.8% males) completed online self‐report questionnaires. Forty‐six point zero seven percent of college students who experienced childhood maltreatment experienced shifts in their perceived posttraumatic changes group (low PTG low PTD group, high PTG low PTD group, and moderate PTG high PTD group) affiliation within 6 months. These transitions were influenced by childhood maltreatment experiences and recent positive/negative life events. Moreover, despite the seemingly positive shifts (increased PTG and decreased PTD) or negative shifts (increased PTD and decreased PTG), they did not fully predict corresponding changes in depressive, anxiety, and complex posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms. Our findings underscore the necessity of understanding perceived posttraumatic changes among college students with childhood maltreatment experiences through encompassing both positive and negative changes, with particular attention to their heterogeneity and instability. Additionally, we recommend identifying truly restorative and constructive transitions by referencing changes in psychological symptom distress. This identification process should incorporate predictors of transitional patterns—such as childhood maltreatment experiences and recent life events—to understand the causes of these transitions and determine populations in need of intervention.