Traumatic Stress and Positive Growth Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

It is important to understand how people respond to catastrophic events and crises. The Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak introduced widespread concern for impacts on mental health and wellbeing during and beyond the pandemic. Traumatic experiences result in numerous outcomes for people, including potential, positive changes in development and functioning. However, extant literature has not examined the relationship between indicators of negative and positive adaptation following trauma, nor has the literature delineated the mechanisms of action that drive these changes in people during chronic, traumatic events. This observational, cross-sectional study included a sample recruited from Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) and the University of Kansas psychology subject pool. Retrospective data were available for 166 participants who completed a one-time, online survey for monetary compensation or course credit. Participants reporting higher levels of externally oriented (e.g., chance, powerful others) and spiritually oriented (e.g., God, higher power) control beliefs experienced more traumatic stress symptoms when thinking about their COVID-19 experiences. Traumatic stress symptoms and rumination were associated with positive growth scores in the expected directions. Interaction terms investigating health-related control beliefs as buffering effects on the relationships between rumination and positive psychological adaptation were non-significant. Results of these analyses are presented with conclusions, limitations, and recommendations for future investigations and clinical support.