Key points

Living with a chronic illness or disability can create loss and distress.

Loss, distress, and challenge can lead to post-traumatic growth, which can transform you in beneficial ways.

It is important to understand that post-traumatic growth does not take away distress.

Living with a chronic health condition or disability can significantly impact a person’s life. It can alter a person’s activities, daily roles, future plans, and physical and mental health. Research has demonstrated that the degree of distress someone experiences related to chronic health conditions varies and that factors such as social support and a sense of overall emotional stability can influence the degree of distress.

Personal growth can come from loss, distress, and challenge. This is encapsulated in

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