Goal pursuing styles and the emergence of post-traumatic growth: a study with Hong Kong young adults under the ‘double hit’ of social movement and COVID

Abstract

ABSTRACT Between 2019 and 2020, Hong Kong faced a mental health crisis due to the Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill social movement and the COVID-19 pandemic. This study explored post-traumatic growth (PTG) in young adults in Hong Kong who experienced these challenges. We focused on two goal-pursuing styles, tenacious goal pursuit (TGP) and flexible goal adjustment (FGA), and their impact on cognitive processes related to PTG. Our findings revealed that high FGA, coupled with a greater perceived impact of the social movement, led to increased reflective rumination and subsequently higher levels of PTG. These results emphasize the significance of FGA and the perceived impact of the social movement in promoting constructive cognitive processes and PTG.