The roles of self-concept and experiential avoidance on post-traumatic growth in individuals with coexisting complex PTSD and epilepsy: The mediating role of ego strength

Abstract

This research examined how self-concept and experiential avoidance influence posttraumatic growth (PTG) by considering the mediating effect of ego strength in individuals with epilepsy who have complex post-traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD). The clinical sample for this study consisted of 137 patients with epilepsy who also had a history of C-PTSD and were selected using a convenience sampling method as part of a cross-sectional descriptive study design from Eqlid City, Iran. In this study, the data was collected using the Post-traumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI-21), the Personal Self-Concept Questionnaire (PSCQ-18), the Multidimensional Experiential Avoidance Questionnaire (MEAQ-62), and the Psychosocial Inventory of Ego Strengths (PIES-64). The results showed that self-concept and ego strength have significant positive direct effects on PTG. While experiential avoidance had a negative significant direct path coefficient with PTG. Furthermore, personal self-concept, experiential avoidance, and ego strengths combined accounted for 77% of the variance in PTG Moreover, ego strength significantly mediated the effect of self-concept and experiential avoidance on PTG. The results have shown a fitted SEM for the direct and indirect effects of self-concept and experiential avoidance on PTG through the mediating role of ego strength. These results have practical implications for psychotherapeutic interventions and community-based programs targeting epileptic patients with C-PTSD.