ISQOLS SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP (SIG) Mental Health & Psychological Well-Being VIRTUAL WEBINAR:
“Two Pathways to Post-Traumatic Growth: A Dissociation-Informed Model with Evidence from Female Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse”
Presenter, Yael Lahav, PhD, Associate Professor at Tel Aviv University
24 June, 10:00 am EDT/4:00 pm CEST
This webinar presents a dissociation-informed framework for understanding post-traumatic growth (PTG) following childhood sexual abuse (CSA). Although PTG is commonly conceptualized as a marker of resilience, meaning-making, and positive psychological transformation following adversity, empirical findings regarding its associations with psychological adjustment and mental health have remained notably inconsistent. While some studies link PTG to improved functioning and adaptation, others suggest that it may coexist with distress, psychopathology, and vulnerability. These inconsistencies raise fundamental questions regarding the nature of PTG and the psychological processes underlying reports of growth after trauma.
Building on a theoretical framework developed by Lahav and colleagues, this webinar proposes that dissociation fundamentally shapes the meaning and consequences of PTG. According to this perspective, PTG may emerge through two distinct pathways. One pathway reflects authentic growth arising from emotional processing, integration, and schema reconstruction following trauma. The second reflects dissociative or defensive forms of perceived growth that may coexist with fragmentation, avoidance, and unresolved traumatic material. From this perspective, reports of PTG may not always signify psychological integration or improved adaptation, but may at times function as dissociative narratives that distance survivors from traumatic pain while simultaneously maintaining vulnerability.
The webinar will present empirical findings from longitudinal research among female survivors of childhood sexual abuse that support this dissociation-informed model. Specifically, findings demonstrated that dissociation moderated the associations between PTG and subsequent sexual revictimization, suggesting that under conditions of high dissociation, reports of growth may coexist with increased vulnerability and risk.
The presentation will discuss the broader implications of this framework for trauma theory, assessment, and clinical practice, particularly in relation to interpersonal trauma and revictimization. Importantly, the proposed model also carries implications for the study of quality of life and psychological well-being following trauma. While PTG is often assumed to reflect positive adaptation, the present findings suggest that some forms of perceived growth may coexist with ongoing distress, mental health difficulties, relational vulnerability, and diminished safety. A dissociation-informed perspective on PTG may therefore contribute to a more nuanced understanding of long-term well-being, interpersonal functioning, and quality of life among trauma survivors.
Presenter short bio: Yael Lahav, PhD, is an Associate Professor at Tel Aviv University and a trauma researcher specializing in complex trauma, dissociation, and interpersonal victimization. Her work focuses on the psychological processes that shape trauma survivors’ perceptions of themselves, others, and abusive experiences, as well as the implications of these processes for psychopathology, revictimization, and post-traumatic adaptation.
Professor Lahav is known for her work on Identification With the Aggressor (IWA), including the development of the Identification With the Aggressor Scale (IAS), which has contributed to the empirical study of traumatic bonding and dissociative survival responses. Her research has demonstrated associations between IWA and a range of outcomes, including revictimization, self-harm, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and complex PTSD.
She also developed the Doubt Regarding Abuse-Related Appraisals (DARA) framework and the Abuse Doubt Scale (ADS), which examine survivors’ difficulties in forming confident appraisals regarding abusive experiences. Her broader program of research explores dissociation-informed perspectives on trauma adaptation, including the multifaceted nature of post-traumatic growth and its implications for psychological functioning.
Her work has been published in journals focusing on trauma, dissociation, and clinical psychology, and aims to advance both scientific understanding and clinical approaches to complex trauma and its long-term effects. Through this line of research, Professor Lahav seeks to deepen understanding of the pathways linking trauma, adaptation, and quality of life among survivors of interpersonal violence.
