The relation between posttraumatic growth and resilience in the South African context.

Abstract

Over the last decade, a growing body of literature has examined the positive ways in which people’s lives change as a result of experiencing various traumatic events. Specifically, a vast amount of literature has examined various person variables that possibly alter the occurrence of posttraumatic growth (PTG). However, to date, only theoretical, non-empirical assumptions have been made about the relation between the person variable resilience and PTG. The relation between the two concepts could have important implications for both preventive interventions as well as trauma counselling. The present study investigates the relation between resilience and PTG in a sample of South Africans who have been exposed to a range of traumatic events. Furthermore, it examines the nature of such a relation, investigating whether resilience is contributing to the occurrence of PTG or whether the two constructs are unrelated. The sample consisted of 272 first year students from the Faculty of Commerce and Law at the University of the Witwatersrand. Participants completed a survey of questions that consisted of a Demographic questionnaire, the Traumatic Stress Schedule, the Impact of Events Scale Revised, the Dispositional Resilience Scale and the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory. The data yielded a significant relation between the resilience component of Challenge and the PTGI domain Relating to Others. However, it did not find any other significant relation between either of the resilience factors, specifically Challenge, Control, and Commitment, and the PTGI domains. Implications of the results and recommendations for further research are discussed.