Cognitive appraisal of the COVID-19 pandemic situation and posttraumatic growth in people with disabilities

Abstract

The aim of the study was to examine the way people with disabilities perceived the COVID-19 pandemic and whether it was related to the level of posttraumatic growth they experienced. The study was conducted online in the first year of the pandemic. 165 people with disabilities and 164 people without disabilities (comparison group) took part in the study that used questionnaires to measure the type of cognitive appraisal of the pandemic situation and the level of experienced posttraumatic growth. There were no differences between the groups in terms of the cognitive appraisal of the pandemic situation as a challenge, threat, and harm/loss or in the level of declaredposttraumatic growth. The predictor for the level of posttraumatic growth was the perception of the pandemic situation as a challenge. Other types of cognitive appraisal, gender, and age did not enable the prediction of the level of posttraumatic growth. The study indicates the similarity of the cognitive appraisal of the pandemic situation and the level of posttraumatic growth in people with disabilities and in the comparison group, as well as the importance of perception of the pandemic situation as a challenge in the context of experienced posttraumatic growth. Due to the limited scope of the study, these results should be treated as preliminary and inspiring for further research.