Document Type

Dissertation

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy

Major

Psychology, Clinical-Community

Date of Defense

3-15-2023

Graduate Advisor

Rachel Wamser-Nanney

Committee

Rachel Wamser-Nanney, Ph.D.

Ann Steffen, Ph.D.

Emily Gerstein, Ph.D.

Annah Bender, Ph.D.

Abstract

Social support has been identified as one of the most consistent predictors of posttraumatic growth (PTG). Although the role of social support in the process of PTG is informative, social support is intrinsically reliant on other people. Identifying internal, potentially malleable, factors that are associated with PTG is essential for developing preventative interventions to improve trauma-related outcomes and increase levels of PTG among trauma survivors. Internal processes such as self-compassion and experiential avoidance may promote, or interfere with, deliberate processing and the subsequent development of PTG; however, this has not yet been examined in the literature. Thus, the primary aims of the current study were to: 1) examine the associations between PTG, social support, self-compassion, and experiential avoidance; 2) investigate if self-compassion has an indirect effect on the link between social support and PTG; 3) evaluate whether self-compassion or experiential avoidance moderate the relationship between social support and PTG. The sample included 398 trauma-exposed adults (Mage = 30.56, SD = 10.64; 67.6% female; 68.6% white). PTG was positively correlated with social support, self-compassion, and experiential avoidance (rs =.12-.16). Mediation results revealed an indirect effect for social support and PTG via self-compassion (B = .08) and experiential avoidance was found to moderate the relationship between social support and PTG (B = .01). These findings indicate that both self-compassion and experiential avoidance may be key internal factors relevant in understanding individuals’ propensity for growth in the aftermath of trauma.

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