Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory in a Veteran Sample with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

The objective of this study was to conduct a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI) to determine if the factor structure is the same for a veteran sample with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD; N = 221) as compared to previous studies that have used more heterogeneous samples of subjects. Analyses were conducted in order to examine the best model fit between three broad dimensional factors, a five-factor structure, or a factor structure consisting of one higher-order “general” factor with five “lower-order” factors. Results of the CFA revealed adequate fits for the five-factor and five-factor higher-order models. The findings of this study support the use of the PTGI total and factor scores when interpreting results in veteran samples with PTSD.