Abstract
The book is devoted to the positive consequences of negative life events. Various negative events, such as serious diseases, death of a close person, accidents, natural disasters, etc. belong to the human life.
After the experience of posttraumatic stress disorder (usually after long time period, during which people try to cope with the difficult life event) posttraumatic growth can appear. It means that people come out of the disaster as stronger and also changed for the better.
The book is devided into two parts. In the first, more general part the history of the problem is sumed up, basic terminology is defined and the newest models of posttraumatic growth are submited.
The assessment and intervention are described in detail. In the second, more special part actual evidence of posttraumatic growth in children, parents of ill or handicaped children, old people, ill adult people, victims of natural disasters, participants in military conflicts and members of the helping professions, are summarized.