Posttraumatic Growth During the Covid-19 Pandemic: Examining the Role of Social Support Among Young Adults
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic was a source of stress, social isolation, and anxiety among young adults. Protocols to prevent the spread of the virus, including remote work and virtual classes, combined with a lack of mental health resources, posed a unique challenge for young adults. In addition, unprecedented change from the pandemic has been perpetual, leaving young adults feeling hopeless. Despite the challenges of the pandemic, there is a growing body of evidence to suggest that social support could facilitate the development of positive growth from traumatic events such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The concept of posttraumatic growth was introduced in the literature in 1996 by Tedeschi and Calhoun, and at present, remains empirically understudied. Although there is reasonable empirical support to suggest that social support is important for indicators related to posttraumatic growth, such as resilience, the nuances of social support have not been examined. The purpose of this study is to examine the relative salience of multiple dimensions of social support, including its directionality (i.e., giving or receiving support) and type (i.e., emotional or instrumental support), for posttraumatic growth in young adults during the beginning stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well examine gender differences in social support and posttraumatic growth. Data are from a secondary study of leisure among young adults (N= 2,405) collected near the onset of the pandemic (May 1, 2020, to September 1, 2020). All measures were collected through self-report survey methods and have established reliability and validity in other samples. Stepwise regressions estimated the relative salience of the four social support scales for posttraumatic growth, as well as gender differences in social support and posttraumatic growth.
Citation
Nelson, Kelly Marie (2023). Posttraumatic Growth During the Covid-19 Pandemic: Examining the Role of Social Support Among Young Adults. Master's thesis, Texas A&M University. Available electronically from https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /199099.