Social support and resilience as moderators of the relationship between COVID-19 pandemic-related trauma and posttraumatic growth in U.S. adults

Previous research has established a positive association between COVID-19-related trauma and posttraumatic growth (PTG), but few studies have examined the factors that influence the strength of that relationship. The current study used an electronic survey to investigate the relationship between U....

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Main Authors: Michael Berg, Linda Lin, Jenna Beebe, Hanna Ondrasek
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Gökmen Arslan 2024-12-01
Series:Journal of Happiness and Health
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Online Access:https://journalofhappinessandhealth.com/index.php/johah/article/view/93
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author Michael Berg
Linda Lin
Jenna Beebe
Hanna Ondrasek
author_facet Michael Berg
Linda Lin
Jenna Beebe
Hanna Ondrasek
author_sort Michael Berg
collection DOAJ
description Previous research has established a positive association between COVID-19-related trauma and posttraumatic growth (PTG), but few studies have examined the factors that influence the strength of that relationship. The current study used an electronic survey to investigate the relationship between U.S. adults’ COVID-19-related trauma and PTG and the degree to which their perceived social support and psychological resilience served as moderators of that relationship. Data (n = 378) were gathered through a crowdsourcing platform in April, 2023. Analyses indicated a significant positive relationship between COVID-19-related trauma and PTG. In addition, both perceived social support and psychological resilience were supported as significant moderators of that relationship. Not only did higher levels of each variable predict a stronger relationship between trauma and growth, but they also had an interactive effect where having higher levels of both predicted the strongest relationship of all. This research establishes perceived social support and psychological resilience as key moderators of the relationship between COVID-19-related trauma and PTG. These results hold implications for how future research and therapeutic practice might benefit from focusing on perceived social support and psychological resilience as key factors in the psychological recovery from COVID-19.
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spelling doaj-art-b70fc4de61be47caaaab42032b68a9112025-08-20T01:58:00ZengGökmen ArslanJournal of Happiness and Health2791-82462024-12-015FirstView Articles10.47602/johah.v5i1.93Social support and resilience as moderators of the relationship between COVID-19 pandemic-related trauma and posttraumatic growth in U.S. adultsMichael Berg0Linda Lin1Jenna Beebe2Hanna Ondrasek3Department of Psychology, Wheaton College, Norton, MA, USADepartment of Psychology, Emmanuel College, Boston, MA, USADepartment of Psychology, Wheaton College, Norton, MA, USADepartment of Psychology, Wheaton College, Norton, MA, USA Previous research has established a positive association between COVID-19-related trauma and posttraumatic growth (PTG), but few studies have examined the factors that influence the strength of that relationship. The current study used an electronic survey to investigate the relationship between U.S. adults’ COVID-19-related trauma and PTG and the degree to which their perceived social support and psychological resilience served as moderators of that relationship. Data (n = 378) were gathered through a crowdsourcing platform in April, 2023. Analyses indicated a significant positive relationship between COVID-19-related trauma and PTG. In addition, both perceived social support and psychological resilience were supported as significant moderators of that relationship. Not only did higher levels of each variable predict a stronger relationship between trauma and growth, but they also had an interactive effect where having higher levels of both predicted the strongest relationship of all. This research establishes perceived social support and psychological resilience as key moderators of the relationship between COVID-19-related trauma and PTG. These results hold implications for how future research and therapeutic practice might benefit from focusing on perceived social support and psychological resilience as key factors in the psychological recovery from COVID-19. https://journalofhappinessandhealth.com/index.php/johah/article/view/93COVID-19traumaposttraumatic growthSocial supportResilience
spellingShingle Michael Berg
Linda Lin
Jenna Beebe
Hanna Ondrasek
Social support and resilience as moderators of the relationship between COVID-19 pandemic-related trauma and posttraumatic growth in U.S. adults
Journal of Happiness and Health
COVID-19
trauma
posttraumatic growth
Social support
Resilience
title Social support and resilience as moderators of the relationship between COVID-19 pandemic-related trauma and posttraumatic growth in U.S. adults
title_full Social support and resilience as moderators of the relationship between COVID-19 pandemic-related trauma and posttraumatic growth in U.S. adults
title_fullStr Social support and resilience as moderators of the relationship between COVID-19 pandemic-related trauma and posttraumatic growth in U.S. adults
title_full_unstemmed Social support and resilience as moderators of the relationship between COVID-19 pandemic-related trauma and posttraumatic growth in U.S. adults
title_short Social support and resilience as moderators of the relationship between COVID-19 pandemic-related trauma and posttraumatic growth in U.S. adults
title_sort social support and resilience as moderators of the relationship between covid 19 pandemic related trauma and posttraumatic growth in u s adults
topic COVID-19
trauma
posttraumatic growth
Social support
Resilience
url https://journalofhappinessandhealth.com/index.php/johah/article/view/93
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