Character strengths sustain mental health and post-traumatic growth during the COVID-19 pandemic. A longitudinal analysis

The COVID-19 pandemic has posed significant challenges to mental health worldwide, raising the need to identify stable psychological resources that promote sustainable well-being. This longitudinal study examined whether character strengths predict well-being, post-traumatic growth, and mental health over a 13-month period. Participants (N = 146) completed online measures of character strengths, mental health, life satisfaction, affect, and post-traumatic growth at two time points. First, we tested whether a single general factor of character predicted later mental health and whether life satisfaction, affect, and post-traumatic growth mediated this relationship. Then, we repeated this model but with five different character strengths factors as predictors. Results showed that character predicted all mediators and mental health over time, but only the affective components of well-being mediated the relationship between character and mental health, especially positive affect. When looking at the five character strengths factors, although the majority predicted higher well-being and better mental health over time, goodness and interpersonal and fortitude strengths yielded the strongest effects. These findings suggest that character strengths contribute to sustainable well-being by fostering affective resilience in the face of adversity, aligning with the goals of Sustainable Development Goal 3 (Good Health and Well-being).

Background & Aims: Posttraumatic growth (PTG) refers to positive changes resulting from trauma. As a traumatic stressor, COVID-19 can affect various aspects of one’s life. The present study aimed to investigate the mediating role of coping strategies and defense mechanisms in the relationship of PTG and mental health, resilience, and perceived social support in COVID-19 survivors. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted using a path analysis method from the correlation matrix. The research population included all COVID-19 recovered patients in Golestan province, Iran. Using the convenience sampling method, 300 patients who recovered from COVID-19 were selected. The participants were given questionnaires online. The research instruments included the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI), the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28), the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), the Defense Style Questionnaire (DSQ), and the Ways of Coping Questionnaire (WOC). The data were analyzed through structural equation modeling (SEM) using SPSS and AMOS version 25. Results: The findings of SEM revealed that the model fits the data. The relationship between problem-focused coping strategies and PTG, mental health, and perceived social support, the relationship between PTG and perceived social support, resilience, and mental health, and the relationship between mature defense mechanisms and PTG, mental health, resilience, and perceived social support were positive and significant (P<0.01). The relationship between emotion-focused strategies and PTG, resilience, and perceived social support, the relationship between neurotic defense mechanisms and mental health, resilience, PTG, and perceived social support, and the relationship between immature defense mechanisms and mental health, resilience, and PTG were negative and significant (P<0.01). Furthermore, the direct path analysis revealed that the relationships between mental health and emotion-focused strategies and between perceived social support and immature defense mechanisms were not significant. Conclusion: The study results suggested that mental health, resilience, perceived social support, as well as problem-focused coping strategies played a crucial role in increasing PTG in COVID-19 patients. Therefore, they can be utilized to reduce the mental damage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Racial and socioeconomic status differences in stress, posttraumatic growth, and mental health in an older adult cohort during the COVID-19 pandemic

A Global Call for Action to Prioritize Healthcare Worker Suicide Prevention During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond.

Posttraumatic growth (PTG) refers to positive psychological changes following adversity, including deeper relationships and a greater appreciation for life. To assess PTG among intensive care unit (ICU) health care professionals 4 years after the COVID-19 pandemic and explore its association with resilience, anxiety, and depression. This cross-sectional study invited ICU health care professionals (nursing staff, medical staff [residents, interns, clinical fellows, and senior intensivists], and other professionals providing patient care) in ICUs in general or university-affiliated hospitals in France and Belgium to complete online questionnaires between March 15 and May 15, 2024. PTG, resilience, anxiety, and depression. The primary outcome was PTG, and secondary outcomes were anxiety, depression, and resilience. Participants completed validated self-reported questionnaires, including the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and 10-item Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC 10). Visual analog scales (VASs) assessed professional experiences and psychological impact. Multivariate linear regression identified factors associated with PTG. Among 1371 health care professionals in 23 ICUs, 850 (62%) responded (median age, 39 years [IQR, 32-46 years]; 574 [68%] women). The median PTGI score was 50 (IQR, 33-64), with nursing staff reporting higher PTG than medical staff (51 [IQR, 34-65] vs 47 [IQR, 28-61]; P = .02), mainly in personal strength, spiritual change, and appreciation of life. Anxiety and depression symptoms were present in 492 respondents (58%) and 219 respondents (26%), respectively. Lower PTG was associated with psychological fatigue (regression coefficient, 1.43; 95% CI, 0.91-1.96; P < .001), ICU conflicts (regression coefficient, 0.62; 95% CI, 0.05-1.19; P = .03), and perceived deterioration in family-centered care (regression coefficient, -7.47; 95% CI, -1.10 to -13.80; P = .02). Higher PTG was correlated with higher resilience (Spearman correlation coefficient, 0.24; 95% CI, 0.17-0.30; P < .001) and was associated with a change in personal life since the pandemic (regression coefficient, 1.80 [95% CI, 1.13-2.47] per VAS point; P < .001). In this cross-sectional study performed 4 years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, ICU health care professionals, particularly nursing staff, exhibited significant PTG. Resilience, rather than psychological distress, emerged as a key driver of PTG, and deterioration in family-centered care was a major contributing factor, underscoring the need for targeted well-being and resilience-building strategies to enhance health care professionals' mental health and professional fulfillment while also improving patient and family care.

Background and aims: Post-traumatic growth refers to the positive psychological changes experienced after an incident. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is seen as a traumatic incident that impacts many aspects of a person's life. The present study aimed to investigate the association between perceived social support and mental health with the post-traumatic growth model through the mediating role of coping strategies in COVID-19 recovered patients. Methods: This study was conducted using a path analysis method from the correlation matrix. The research population included all COVID-19 recovered patients in Golestan Province. Using the convenience sampling method, 300 patients who recovered from COVID-19 were selected. The research instruments included the Post-Traumatic Growth Inventory, the General Health Questionnaire, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and the Ways of Coping Questionnaire. The data was analyzed through structural equation modeling (SEM) using SPSS and AMOS software version 25. Results: The findings revealed that the suggested model fit the data. The relationship between post-traumatic growth, perceived social support, and mental health with problem-focused coping strategies were positive and significant (P&lt;0.01). The relations between mental health and perceived social support with post-traumatic growth were positive and significant. Post-traumatic growth and perceived social support had a negative and significant relationship with emotion-focused strategies (P&lt;0.01). Furthermore, the relationship between mental health and emotion-focused strategies was not significant. Conclusion: Mental health, perceived social support, and problem-focused strategies play an essential role in COVID-19 patients' post-traumatic growth. As a result, they might be helpful in minimizing the psychological impact of COVID-19.

BackgroundTraumatic experiences, such as natural disasters, produce multiple and serious impacts on people. Despite the traditional focus on negative consequences, in many cases there are also positive consequences, such as posttraumatic growth. Tedeschi and Calhoun proposed a model of posttraumatic growth that emphasizes the role of rumination after the basic beliefs breakdown due to the occurrence of a traumatic experience.MethodA total of 238 volunteers affected by two major earthquakes and tsunami alerts in northern Chile on April 1 and 2, 2014, responded to an online survey measuring subjective severity, basic beliefs change, social share of emotion, rumination, posttraumatic stress, and posttraumatic growth.ResultsPath analyses reveal that posttraumatic stress goes through a negative change in basic beliefs, intrusive rumination, and deliberated rumination, meanwhile posttraumatic growth is only achieved directly from a positive change in basic beliefs and deliberated rumination.DiscussionThe model is consistent with the empirical model obtained in Chilean people affected by the earthquake and tsunami that occurred on 27 February, 2010, but it is slightly different and in a form that is more consistent with Tedeschi and Calhoun’s theoretical model. Both models remark on the role of deliberated rumination in posttraumatic growth and failure to progress from intrusive to deliberated rumination in posttraumatic stress, but the proposed one is more parsimonious and assumes subjective severity as an antecedent to basic belief changes. These conclusions must be considered in light of limitations that a cross-sectional design and the correlational nature of the statistical analysis carried out impose.Highlights of the articleRole of subjective severity, change of basic beliefs, social sharing of emotion, and rumination on posttraumatic stress and growth were modeled from responses of people affected by the April 1–2, 2014, northern Chilean earthquakes.Posttraumatic stress goes through negative changes in basic beliefs, intrusive rumination, and deliberated rumination.Posttraumatic growth is achieved from positive changes in basic beliefs and deliberated rumination.Deliberated rumination and moving from intrusive to deliberated rumination appear as cornerstones in posttraumatic processing.

Pandemic-related posttraumatic psychological growth in U.S. military veterans: A 3-year, nationally representative, longitudinal study

This longitudinal study characterized psychological adjustment in a sample of lung cancer patients by examining the occurrence of posttraumatic stress and growth and their relationships with mental and physical health quality of life and survival over time. Two waves of consecutive cohort samples, totaling 115 participants diagnosed with lung cancer, were identified from outpatient oncology clinics. Of these, 93 consented and completed the first of three assessments, and 57 completed the study. Prevalence of posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSD Checklist) and posttraumatic growth (Posttraumatic Growth Inventory) were assessed and used to predict physical and mental health components of quality of life (Short Form 36) and survival. Patients reported both negative and positive psychological sequelae, with prevalence of estimated PTSD ranging from 5-16% at each assessment as determined by symptom and cut-off methods. Posttraumatic stress and growth were positively related, but were differentially associated with outcomes. More posttraumatic stress predicted lower mental health quality of life, whereas more posttraumatic growth predicted better physical health quality of life and longer survival. These relationships persisted after accounting for disease variables and attrition due to death or illness. These findings highlight the importance of using longitudinal designs to identify relationships between stress and resilience factors in predicting outcomes.

Most studies in cancer patients on psychological changes focused on positive changes (so-called 'posttraumatic growth'), with surprisingly little attention on the possibility that patients may experience both positive and negative changes. This study investigated the relationship between positive and negative changes, and their association with positive and negative affect. We also examined the correlates of positive and negative changes, specifically the role of coping and goal reengagement. This cross-sectional study was conducted in 108 patients. We used Pearson correlations and Regression analyses to examine the research questions. Positive and negative changes were relatively unrelated to each other. More positive changes were related to more positive affect, whereas more negative changes were related to more negative affect and less positive affect. Approach coping by more positive reappraisal and goal reengagement was significantly associated with more positive changes. More use of avoidant coping by self-distraction was related to more negative changes. Patients experienced both positive and negative changes as a result of cancer. These changes were significantly related to patients' well-being, as well as to their coping and goal reengagement strategies. This knowledge may be incorporated in psychological interventions. Cancer patients can be assisted to learn to acknowledge both positive and negative changes in their life and to approach rather than avoid difficult situations. Patients may also be supported to engage in alternative meaningful goals in life. This is likely to help them find positive meaning.

The literature on behavioral outcomes associated with the COVID-19 pandemic is inundated with mental health burdens such as depression and stress disorders. The current study investigated gender invariance on resilience and post-traumatic growth (PTG) as positive psychological changes associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 381 survivors of the COVID-19 infection completed measurements of resilience, PTG, violence and stigma experience, and mental health problems like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation, multivariate regression, and a latent profile analysis. The results revealed that more than half of the participants had high scores on resilience (53.6%) and PTG (60.9%). The positive psychological changes, although independent of each other, were moderated by gender, and influenced by the negative experiences of participants such as stigma, violence, and PTSD. Latent profile analyses revealed three classes of participants, two of which were characterized by high scores on mental health problems and PTG. The clusters were invariant across gender. Surviving COVID-19 contributed to resilience and PTG. These can be targeted for intervention programs to mitigate the mental health burden occasioned by the pandemic.

Factors associated with post-traumatic growth in response to the COVID-19 pandemic: Results from a national sample of U.S. military veterans

BackgroundPsychiatric outpatients with a refugee background have often been exposed to a variety of potentially traumatizing events, with numerous negative consequences for their mental health and quality of life. However, some patients also report positive personal changes, posttraumatic growth, related to these potentially traumatic events. This study describes posttraumatic growth, posttraumatic stress symptoms, depressive symptoms, post-migration stressors, and their association with quality of life in an outpatient psychiatric population with a refugee background in Norway.MethodsFifty five psychiatric outpatients with a refugee background participated in a cross-sectional study using clinical interviews to measure psychopathology (SCID-PTSD, MINI), and four self-report instruments measuring posttraumatic growth, posttraumatic stress symptoms, depressive symptoms, and quality of life (PTGI-SF, IES-R, HSCL-25-depression scale, and WHOQOL-Bref) as well as measures of social integration, social network and employment status.ResultsAll patients reported some degree of posttraumatic growth, while only 31% reported greater amounts of growth. Eighty percent of the patients had posttraumatic stress symptoms above the cut-off point, and 93% reported clinical levels of depressive symptoms. Quality of life in the four domains of the WHOQOL-Bref levels were low, well below the threshold for the’life satisfaction’ standard proposed by Cummins.A hierarchic regression model including depressive symptoms, posttraumatic stress symptoms, posttraumatic growth, and unemployment explained 56% of the total variance found in the psychological health domain of the WHOQOL-Bref scale. Posttraumatic growth made the strongest contribution to the model, greater than posttraumatic stress symptoms or depressive symptoms. Post-migration stressors like unemployment, weak social network and poor social integration were moderately negatively correlated with posttraumatic growth and quality of life, and positively correlated with psychopathological symptoms. Sixty percent of the outpatients were unemployed.ConclusionsMulti-traumatized refugees in outpatient clinics reported both symptoms of psychopathology and posttraumatic growth after exposure to multiple traumatic events. Symptoms of psychopathology were negatively related to the quality of life, and positively related to post-migration stressors such as unemployment, weak social network and poor social integration. Posttraumatic growth was positively associated with quality of life, and negatively associated with post-migration stressors. Hierarchical regression modeling showed that posttraumatic growth explained more of the variance in quality of life than did posttraumatic stress symptoms, depressive symptoms or unemployment. It may therefore be necessary to address both positive changes and psychopathological symptoms when assessing and treating multi-traumatized outpatients with a refugee background.

Defined as dispositional qualities that elevate well-being, character strengths such as love and kindness can be developed and enhanced to improve quality of life. Yet, little is known how specific strengths are associated with posttrauma mental health. The present study explored their concurrent associations with posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and posttraumatic growth (PTG) in a sample of 405 women sexual assault survivors. We applied network analysis to investigate the structure of character strengths, PTSS, and PTG, as well as to identify character strengths most strongly associated with lower PTSS and greater PTG. Results revealed that the strengths of love and forgiveness were most strongly linked to lower PTSS, whereas spirituality and kindness were most strongly linked to greater PTG. These findings highlight character strengths that may be most important to cultivate in trauma-focused care for survivors. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Introduction and aim. It is very important for nurses to experience post-traumatic growth in order to protect their mental health after traumatic events such as a pandemic. The aim of this study is to determine the post traumatic growth status of infection control nurses, who play an important role in health services in the COVID-19 pandemic. Material and methods. This study is a cross-sectional, descriptive study. The study was conducted with 170 infection control nurses working in infection control committees of hospitals in Turkey. “Nurse Descriptive Information Form” and “Post Traumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI)” were used as data collection tools in this study. Results. As a result of this research, the mean PTGI total score of the infection control nurses was 70.73±23.03, and it was determined that they experienced moderate growth from the sub-dimensions of the scale. Also it was determined that there was a statistically significant difference between the changes in philosophy of life sub-dimension scores of PTGI according to the age and marital status of the nurses. In addition, it was determined that there was a significant difference between the total PTGI scores according to the year of working as an infection control nurse and the loss of a relative of the healthcare worker due to the COVID-19 disease. Conclusion. In this study, it can be said that infection control nurses experienced a moderate post-traumatic growth after the COVID-19 pandemic. Age, marital status, working year and loss of a healthcare worker friend during the pandemic period seem to affect nurses’ post-traumatic growth. It is very important to determine the mental health of infection control nurses working on the front lines in the pandemic.