Posttraumatic growth in palliative care: Understanding patients' experiences through life stories

Posttraumatic growth in palliative care: Understanding patients' experiences through life stories | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Posttraumatic growth in palliative care: Understanding patients' experiences through life stories Laura Galbiati, Elsa Baader, Emilie Bovet, Gian Domenico Borasio, and 5 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7640707/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Background Numerous studies have revealed that the shock engendered by a serious illness can lead to positive psychological changes known as posttraumatic growth (PTG). Most studies examined this phenomenon in early-stage cancer and with the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI) . Our current understanding of the psychological processes behind PTG remains limited. Through life narrative interviews, our study aims (i) to describe profiles of psychological changes of palliative care patients and to highlight characteristics of these changes, and (ii) to link these profiles with quality of life and PTGI. Methods This study adopted a multi method design. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with patients based on the Biographic Narrative Interpretive Method in three centres in Switzerland. An ideal-type analysis was used to establish ideal-types of changes and a thematic analysis to highlight characteristics of these changes. In addition, posttraumatic growth and quality of life were assessed through the PTGI and the McGill Quality of Life-Revised questionnaire (MQOL-R). Results In total, 23 patients participated (13 female, median age = 73). The ideal-type analysis identified four types of psychological changes: (i) “Overcoming adversity” (n = 6), (ii) “Resilience” (n = 7), (iii) “Acceptance” (n = 3), (iv) “Psychological suffering” (n = 7). “Overcoming adversity” and “Resilience” showed higher PTGI scores than “Acceptance” and “Psychological suffering”. “Overcoming adversity”, “Resilience” and “Acceptance” showed higher MQOL-R scores than “Psychological suffering”. Conclusions Regarding research, life stories offer an innovative way to understand and highlight patient’s psychological profiles shaped by past experiences and surpassing the limits of questionnaires. In term of clinical perspective, narrative techniques, known to promote meaning-making, offer valuable opportunities to consider both past and present experiences of patients and thus understand and support their psychological adaptation to face serious illness at the end-of-life. posttraumatic growth quality of life palliative care psychological changes mixed-methods narrative method Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files GuidedinterviewtoproceedtotheBiographicNarrativeInterpretiveMethod.pdf Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7640707","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":531889608,"identity":"e5003476-d021-4733-ba38-67f78ad99368","order_by":0,"name":"Laura Galbiati","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Laura","middleName":"","lastName":"Galbiati","suffix":""},{"id":531889609,"identity":"627b1152-7131-4182-ad19-52330c13a42f","order_by":1,"name":"Elsa Baader","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Lausanne University Hospital and 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stories","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"posttraumatic growth, quality of life, palliative care, psychological changes, mixed-methods, narrative method","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7640707/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7640707/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003ch2\u003eBackground\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eNumerous studies have revealed that the shock engendered by a serious illness can lead to positive psychological changes known as posttraumatic growth (PTG). Most studies examined this phenomenon in early-stage cancer and with the \u003cem\u003ePosttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI)\u003c/em\u003e. Our current understanding of the psychological processes behind PTG remains limited. Through life narrative interviews, our study aims (i) to describe profiles of psychological changes of palliative care patients and to highlight characteristics of these changes, and (ii) to link these profiles with quality of life and PTGI.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eMethods\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis study adopted a multi method design. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with patients based on the Biographic Narrative Interpretive Method in three centres in Switzerland. An ideal-type analysis was used to establish ideal-types of changes and a thematic analysis to highlight characteristics of these changes. In addition, posttraumatic growth and quality of life were assessed through the \u003cem\u003ePTGI\u003c/em\u003e and the \u003cem\u003eMcGill Quality of Life-Revised questionnaire (MQOL-R).\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eResults\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn total, 23 patients participated (13 female, median age\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;73). The ideal-type analysis identified four types of psychological changes: (i) \u0026ldquo;Overcoming adversity\u0026rdquo; (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;6), (ii) \u0026ldquo;Resilience\u0026rdquo; (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;7), (iii) \u0026ldquo;Acceptance\u0026rdquo; (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;3), (iv) \u0026ldquo;Psychological suffering\u0026rdquo; (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;7). \u0026ldquo;Overcoming adversity\u0026rdquo; and \u0026ldquo;Resilience\u0026rdquo; showed higher PTGI scores than \u0026ldquo;Acceptance\u0026rdquo; and \u0026ldquo;Psychological suffering\u0026rdquo;. \u0026ldquo;Overcoming adversity\u0026rdquo;, \u0026ldquo;Resilience\u0026rdquo; and \u0026ldquo;Acceptance\u0026rdquo; showed higher MQOL-R scores than \u0026ldquo;Psychological suffering\u0026rdquo;.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eConclusions\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eRegarding research, life stories offer an innovative way to understand and highlight patient\u0026rsquo;s psychological profiles shaped by past experiences and surpassing the limits of questionnaires. In term of clinical perspective, narrative techniques, known to promote meaning-making, offer valuable opportunities to consider both past and present experiences of patients and thus understand and support their psychological adaptation to face serious illness at the end-of-life.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Posttraumatic growth in palliative care: Understanding patients' experiences through life stories","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-10-22 14:08:20","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7640707/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"0010cf3e-6b54-4ad8-9c5d-d9d81f195747","owner":[],"postedDate":"October 22nd, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-01-09T13:08:47+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-10-22 14:08:20","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-7640707","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-7640707","identity":"rs-7640707","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}