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,
No. FirstView Articles,
10 April 2025
,
Page 1-6
https://doi.org/10.47602/johah.v5i1.93
Abstract
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.
- COVID-19
- trauma
- posttraumatic growth
- Social support
- Resilience
How to Cite
References
Arnold, T., Kunicki, Z. J., Rogers, B. G., Haubrick, K. K., Klasko-Foster, L., Norris, A. L., ... & Cohen, S. A. (2021). Validating the psychosocial functioning during COVID-19 questionnaire among a sample of informal caregivers. Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, 7, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1177/23337214 21997200
Arslan, G., & Wong, P. (2024). Embracing life’s challenges: Developing a tool for assessing resilient mindset in second wave positive psychology. Journal of Happiness and Health, 4(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.47602/johah.v4i1.53
Barskova, T., & Oesterreich, R. (2009). Post-traumatic growth in people living with a serious medical condition and its relations to physical and mental health: A systematic review. Disability and Rehabilitation, 31(21), 1709-1733. https://doi.org/10.108 0/09638280902738441
Centers for Disease Control. (2023, July 12). COVID-19 Death Data and Resources. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/covid-19.htm
Connor, K. M., & Davidson, J. R. (2003). Development of a new resilience scale: The Connor‐Davidson resilience scale (CD‐RISC). Depression and Anxiety, 18(2), 76-82.
Dominick, W., Elam, T., Fraus, K., & Taku, K. (2022). Nontraditional social support, core belief disruption, and posttraumatic growth during COVID-19. Journal of Loss and Trauma, 27(3), 244-256. https://doi.org/10.1080/15325024 .2021.1932968
Feingold, J. H., Hurtado, A., Feder, A., Peccoralo, L., Southwick, S. M., Ripp, J., & Pietrzak, R. H. (2022). Posttraumatic growth among health care workers on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Affective Disorders, 296, 35-40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2021.09.032
Finstad, G. L., Giorgi, G., Lulli, L. G., Pandolfi, C., Foti, G., León-Perez, J. M., ... & Mucci, N. (2021). Resilience, coping strategies and posttraumatic growth in the workplace following COVID-19: A narrative review on the positive aspects of trauma. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(18), 9453. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph 18189453
Governale, A., McTighe, K., & Cechova, V. (2024). Psychological reactions to COVID-19: Ambiguous loss, posttraumatic growth, and coronavirus impact among college students. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 16(2), 201–207. https://dx.doi.org/10.1037/tra0001508
Hyun, S., Wong, G. T. F., Levy-Carrick, N. C., Charmaraman, L., Cozier, Y., Yip, T., & Liu, C. H. (2021). Psychosocial correlates of posttraumatic growth among US young adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. Psychiatry Research, 302, 114035. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2021.114035
Janoff-Bulman, R, & Berg, M. (1998). Disillusionment and the creation of value: From traumatic losses to existential gains. Perspectives in loss: A sourcebook, 35-47.
Lewis, C., Lewis, K., Edwards, B., Evison, C., John, A., Pearce, H., Raisanen, L., Richards, N., Roberts, A., Jones, I. & Bisson, J. I. (2022). Posttraumatic growth related to the COVID‐19 pandemic among individuals with lived experience of psychiatric disorder. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 35(6), 1756-1768. https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.22884
Matos, M., McEwan, K., Kanovský, M., Halamová, J., Steindl, S. R., Ferreira, N., ... & Gilbert, P. (2021). The role of social connection on the experience of COVID-19 related post-traumatic growth and stress. PLoS One, 16(12), e0261384. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0261384
Menculini, G., Albert, U., Bianchini, V., Carmassi, C., Carrà, G., Cirulli, F., Dell’Osso, B., Fabrazzo, M., Perris, F., Sampogna, G., Giulia Nanni, M., Pompili, M., Sani, G., Volpe, U. & Tortorella, A. (2021). Did we learn something positive out of the COVID-19 pandemic? Post-traumatic growth and mental health in the general population. European Psychiatry, 64(1), e79. https://doi.org/10.1192/j.eurpsy.2021.2263
Na, P. J., Tsai, J., Southwick, S. M., & Pietrzak, R. H. (2021). Factors associated with post-traumatic growth in response to the COVID-19 pandemic: Results from a national sample of US military veterans. Social Science & Medicine, 289, 114409. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.114409
Northfield, E. L., & Johnston, K. L. (2022). “I get by with a little help from my friends”: Posttraumatic growth in the COVID-19 pandemic. Traumatology, 28(1), 195–201. https://doi.org/ 10.1037/trm0000321
Pietrzak, R. H., Tsai, J., & Southwick, S. M. (2021). Association of symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder with posttraumatic psychological growth among US veterans during the COVID-19 pandemic. JAMA network open, 4(4), e214972-e214972. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.4972
Sherbourne, C. D., & Stewart, A. L. (1991). The MOS social support survey. Social Science & Medicine, 32(6), 705-714. https://doi.org/10.1016/0277-9536(91)90150-B
Silverstein, M. W., Witte, T. K., Lee, D. J., Kramer, L. B., & Weathers, F. W. (2018). Dimensions of growth? Examining the distinctiveness of the five factors of the posttraumatic growth inventory. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 31(3), 448-453. https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.22298
Taylor, S. E. (1989). Positive illusions: Creative self-deception and the healthy mind. Basic Books.
Tedeschi, R. G., & Calhoun, L. G. (1996). The Posttraumatic Growth Inventory: Measuring the positive legacy of trauma. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 9, 455-471.
Willey, B., Mimmack, K., Gagliardi, G., Dossett, M. L., Wang, S., Udeogu, O. J., Donovan, N.J., Gatchel, J.R., Quiroz, Y.T., Amarilglio, R., Liu, C.H., Hyun, S., ElTohamy, A., Rentz, D., Sperling, R.A. Marshall, G.A., & Vannini, P. (2022). Racial and socioeconomic status differences in stress, posttraumatic growth, and mental health in an older adult cohort during the COVID-19 pandemic. EClinicalMedicine, 45, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. eclinm.2022.101343
- Abstract Viewed: 174 times
- Download PDF Downloaded: 84 times