The Up-Side of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Are Core Belief Violation and Meaning Making Associated with Post-Traumatic Growth?

Marco Castiglioni, Cristina Liviana Caldiroli (), Rossella Procaccia, Federica Conte, Robert A. Neimeyer, Claudia Zamin, Anna Paladino and Attà Negri
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Marco Castiglioni: Department of Human Sciences “R. Massa”, University of Milano Bicocca, 20126 Milano, Italy
Cristina Liviana Caldiroli: Department of Human Sciences “R. Massa”, University of Milano Bicocca, 20126 Milano, Italy
Rossella Procaccia: Faculty of Psychology, eCampus University, 22060 Novedrate, Italy
Federica Conte: Department of Psychology, University of Milano Bicocca, 20126 Milano, Italy
Robert A. Neimeyer: Portland Institute for Loss and Transition, Portland, OR 97223, USA
Claudia Zamin: Italian Society of Relationship Psychoanalysis, 20135 Milano, Italy
Anna Paladino: Department of Human and Social Sciences, University of Bergamo, 24129 Bergamo, Italy
Attà Negri: Department of Human and Social Sciences, University of Bergamo, 24129 Bergamo, Italy

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 11, 1-16

Abstract: The negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health has been extensively documented, while its possible positive impact on the individual, defined as Post-Traumatic Growth (PTG), has been much less investigated. The present study examines the association between PTG and socio-demographic aspects, pre-pandemic psychological adjustment, stressors directly linked to COVID-19 and four psychological factors theoretically implicated in the change processes (core belief violation, meaning-making, vulnerability and mortality perception). During the second wave of the pandemic 680 medical patients completed an online survey on direct and indirect COVID-19 stressors, health and demographic information, post-traumatic growth, core belief violation, meaning-making capacity, feelings of vulnerability and perceptions of personal mortality. Violation of core beliefs, feelings of vulnerability and mortality, and pre-pandemic mental illness positively correlated with post-traumatic growth. Moreover, the diagnosis of COVID-19, stronger violation of core beliefs, greater meaning-making ability, and lower pre-existing mental illness predicted greater PTG. Finally, a moderating effect of meaning-making ability was found. The clinical implications were discussed.

Keywords: post-traumatic growth; core beliefs violation; meaning-making; COVID-19; pandemic (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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