Dual trajectories of post-traumatic growth and mental health in hysterectomy patients: a longitudinal study
- 1Department of Gynecology, Ersha Island Hospital, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine
- 2Nursing Department, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine
Abstract
Background: Research indicates that undergoing a hysterectomy increases a woman's risk of developing long-term mental health issues, such as anxiety and depression. At the same time, there is currently a lack of research exploring their mental health from the perspective of positive psychology, such as post-traumatic growth. This study aims to examine the types of developmental trajectories of post-traumatic growth and mental health among hysterectomy patients. It also employs a dual-trajectory model to explore the longitudinal associations between the two trajectories.
Methods: The study enrolled hysterectomy patients at the gynecology department of a tertiary hospital in Guangdong Province between February and December 2024. A general demographic questionnaire, the post-traumatic growth inventory-Chinese version, and the 12-item general health questionnaire were administered at 1 week post-surgery, 1 month post-surgery, and 3 months post-surgery. A total of 220 patients were enrolled, and 190 ultimately completed the follow-up. The group-based trajectory model analyzed the dynamic trajectories of post-traumatic growth and psychological wellbeing among patients, as well as the relationship between these two trajectories. The study was reported using the STROBE checklist.
Results: The post-traumatic growth trajectories of hysterectomy patients were categorized into four groups: “very low level rising group” (14.0%), “low level rising group” (35.4%), “medium level rising group” (35.1%), and “high level stable group” (15.5%). Mental health trajectories were categorized as “good mental health rising group” (16.8%), “mental health risk reduction group” (62.5%), and “psychological problem relief group” (20.7%). Among patients in the very low level rising PTG group, the probability of being classified into the psychological problem relief group was 49.5% (95% CI: 8.3%−64.3%). Patients in the good mental health rising group had a 42.6% (95% CI: 11.7%−74.5%) probability of being classified into the high level stable group. These results indicate that the two trajectories are highly correlated.
Conclusion: This study demonstrates that the trajectories of post-traumatic growth and mental health among hysterectomy patients are heterogeneous. The dynamic interdependence between post-traumatic growth and mental health can significantly impact patients' quality of life and overall health.
Related
- Growth trajectories and risk of underweight and overweight in childhood cancer patients and survivors: a longitudinal multicentre cohort study protocol
- Neurological Recovery Trajectories in Older Patients with Cervical Spinal Cord Injury: A Multicenter Longitudinal Study
- Longitudinal trajectories of benefit finding and its associations with emotion regulation, social connectedness, depression, and anxiety among Chinese college students following the removal of COVID-19 restrictions. a multivariate latent growth curve analysis
- Post⁃traumatic growth journey of patients with fulminant myocarditis supported by extracorporeal membrane oxygenation: a qualitative study
- Early hemoglobin trajectories and short-term mortality in ICU patients with traumatic brain injury: development in MIMIC-IV and external assessment in eICU-CRD.
BibTeX
@article{sun2026dual,
title = {{Dual trajectories of post-traumatic growth and mental health in hysterectomy patients: a longitudinal study}},
author = {Yuqing Sun and Qinghua Guo and Yuanxiu Chen and Jianong Yu and Weizhi Fan and Jialin Jiang and Haixia He and Dingrong Qiu and Guanglian He},
journal = {Frontiers in Public Health},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fpubh.2026.1943852},
url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2026.1943852/full},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Dual trajectories of post-traumatic growth and mental health in hysterectomy patients: a longitudinal study
AU - Yuqing Sun
AU - Qinghua Guo
AU - Yuanxiu Chen
AU - Jianong Yu
AU - Weizhi Fan
AU - Jialin Jiang
AU - Haixia He
AU - Dingrong Qiu
AU - Guanglian He
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/07
JO - Frontiers in Public Health
DO - 10.3389/fpubh.2026.1943852
UR - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2026.1943852/full
AB - Background: Research indicates that undergoing a hysterectomy increases a woman's risk of developing long-term mental health issues, such as anxiety and depression. At the same time, there is currently a lack of research exploring their mental health from the perspective of positive psychology, such as post-traumatic growth. This study aims to examine the types of developmental trajectories of post-traumatic growth and mental health among hysterectomy patients. It also employs a dual-trajectory model to explore the longitudinal associations between the two trajectories. Methods: The study enrolled hysterectomy patients at the gynecology department of a tertiary hospital in Guangdong Province between February and December 2024. A general demographic questionnaire, the post-traumatic growth inventory-Chinese version, and the 12-item general health questionnaire were administered at 1 week post-surgery, 1 month post-surgery, and 3 months post-surgery. A total of 220 patients were enrolled, and 190 ultimately completed the follow-up. The group-based trajectory model analyzed the dynamic trajectories of post-traumatic growth and psychological wellbeing among patients, as well as the relationship between these two trajectories. The study was reported using the STROBE checklist. Results: The post-traumatic growth trajectories of hysterectomy patients were categorized into four groups: “very low level rising group” (14.0%), “low level rising group” (35.4%), “medium level rising group” (35.1%), and “high level stable group” (15.5%). Mental health trajectories were categorized as “good mental health rising group” (16.8%), “mental health risk reduction group” (62.5%), and “psychological problem relief group” (20.7%). Among patients in the very low level rising PTG group, the probability of being classified into the psychological problem relief group was 49.5% (95% CI: 8.3%−64.3%). Patients in the good mental health rising group had a 42.6% (95% CI: 11.7%−74.5%) probability of being classified into the high level stable group. These results indicate that the two trajectories are highly correlated. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that the trajectories of post-traumatic growth and mental health among hysterectomy patients are heterogeneous. The dynamic interdependence between post-traumatic growth and mental health can significantly impact patients' quality of life and overall health.
SN - 2296-2565
ER -