Abstract
When facing a traumatic event, some people may experience positive changes, defined as posttraumatic growth (PTG). Understanding the possible positive consequences of the pandemic on the individual level is crucial for the development of supportive psychosocial interventions. The present paper aims to: 1) evaluate the levels of PTG in the general population; 2) to identify predictors of each dimension of post-traumatic growth. The majority of the sample (67%, N=13,889) did not report any significant improvement in any domain of PTG. Participants reported the highest levels of growth in the dimension of "appreciation of life" (2.3±1.4), while the lowest level was found in the "spiritual change" (1.2±1.2). Female participants reported a slightly higher level of PTG in areas of personal strength (p<.002) and appreciation for life (p<.007) compared to male participants, while no significant association was found with age. At the multivariate regression models, weighted for the propensity score, only the initial week of lockdown (between 9-15 April) had a negative impact on the dimension of "relating to others" (B=-.107, 95% CI=-.181 to -.032, p<.005), while over time no other effects were found. The duration of exposure to lockdown measures did not influence the other dimensions of PTG. The assessment of the levels of PTG is of great importance for the development of ad hoc supportive psychosocial interventions. From a public health perspective, the identification of protective factors is crucial for developing ad-hoc tailored interventions and for preventing the development of full-blown mental disorders in large scale.
Highlights
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound negative impact on the mental health of the general population [1,2,3]
The negative consequences of the pandemic on the mental health may vary in different target populations, such as healthcare professionals, people infected by the COVID-19, people living with disabilities or affected by chronic physical and mental disorders [18] or special population, such as pregnant women [19,20,21,22,23,24], elderly [25,26] or young people [27,28,29,30]
Considering the specific dimensions of posttraumatic growth (PTG), 18% (N = 3,739) of respondents achieved a significant post-traumatic growth in the dimensions of appreciation for life and personal strength, while only 4.8% (N = 1,003) of participants reported a change in spiritual life
Summary
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound negative impact on the mental health of the general population [1,2,3]. The psychiatric and psychological consequences of the pandemic on the general population mainly include high levels of distress [31,32] and of post-traumatic reactions [33,34,35], social isolation with suicidal ideation [36,37,38,39], depressive and anxiety symptoms and sleep disorders [40,41,42,43,44]. The present paper aims to: 1) evaluate the levels of PTG in the general population; 2) to identify predictors of each dimension of post-traumatic growth. From a public health perspective, the identification of protective factors is crucial for developing ad-hoc tailored interventions and for preventing the development of full-blown mental disorders in large scale
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