Psychometric properties of the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory in Argentinean cancer patients

The aim of this article is to study the psychometric properties of the Argentinian (N=156) Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI) version for cancer patients. It is currently the main instrument for the assessment of positive personal changes after experiencing a traumatic event. It was applied to 156 female survivors of breast cancer (mean age=60.7, SD=9.0) who were treated at a hospital in the city of Buenos Aires. Principal Component Analysis was conducted, which revealed five factors with eigenvalues greater than one, explaining 59.84% (α=.90) of the total variance. A Cronbach s alpha of .89 was obtained. Structural Equation Modelling was then applied to confirm its factorial structure. In addition, between-group comparisons and correlation analysis between PTGI scores were carried out, together with socio demographic and medical characteristics of the sample. The Argentinian PTGI version is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing posttraumatic growth in the Argentinian cancer population.