Does perceived post-traumatic growth during the COVID-19 pandemic reflect actual positive changes?

Abstract

Background and objectives: People commonly report positive changes following stressful experiences (perceived posttraumatic growth; PPTG), yet whether PPTG validly reflects positive changes remains unestablished.

Design and methods: We tested the extent to which COVID-19 pandemic-related PPTG relates to positive changes in corresponding psychosocial resources in a national US sample participating in a five wave study (T1-T5), focusing here on T2-T5: ns = 712-860. We examined correlations between resource change (both latent and observed difference scores) and PPTG at each occasion and conducted structural equation models to separate occasion-specific and stable (traitlike) PPTG variance. We related changes in resources to occasion-specific and stable PPTG components.

Results: Associations between change scores and occasion-specific PPTG were sparse, providing limited evidence of PPTG validity. Associations between change scores and stable PPTG tended to be positive and stronger than associations for occasion-specific PPTG.

Discussion: Perceptions of growth were largely unrelated to experienced positive changes and thus appear to be largely illusory. However, a personality-like tendency to believe one grows from stressful experiences relates more strongly to actual resource growth. These results suggest that people are not accurate reporters of positive changes they experience and that interventions aimed at promoting post-traumatic growth may be premature.

Keywords: COVID-19; Perceived post-traumatic growth; coping; psychosocial resources; validity.

Figure 1:. Conceptual Representation of Latent Change Score Models

Note. Resource variables at T3, T4, and T5 are defined perfectly by a latent change score variable (𝝙 Resource T to T+1). The path between observed variables at T and T+1 is fixed to one so that change is modeled perfectly by the latent change score factor.

Figure 2:. Conceptual Representation of Structural Equation Models Relating Changes in Resources to PPTG

Note. We conducted two SEMs for each Resource variable: one for observed difference scores and one for latent difference scores. The PPTG General Factor is defined by PPTG at T3, T4, and T5. PPTG observed variables (T3, T4, and T5) are residualized for the PPTG General Factor. Regressions predicted the PPTG General Factor and PPTG variables residualized for the general factor from Changes in Resource variables.

Figure 3.. COVID-19 Stressors and Appraised Stressfulness

Notes. Percentages listed next to the shaded bars represent proportion of the total sample who endorsed experiencing each item. Stressors are ordered in decreasing order of prevalence. Stress appraisal items [rated 1 (“not at all stressful”) to 5 (“extremely stressful”)] were only completed for items endorsed.