Paths From Trauma to Intrapersonal Strength: Worldview, Posttraumatic Growth, and Wisdom

Abstract

Both posttraumatic growth and wisdom have been linked with traumatic life events as predictors and various mental health factors as outcomes. One hundred thirty males and 190 females wrote brief trauma narratives and completed measures of worldview, posttraumatic growth, wisdom, and indicators of intrapersonal strength. Correlational results indicated that posttraumatic growth and wisdom were positively associated. Using structural equation modeling, we examined pathways from stress to intrapersonal strength via changes in worldview, posttraumatic growth, and wisdom. The model accounted for 50% of the variance in intrapersonal strength and supported the prediction that changes in worldview precede both posttraumatic growth and wisdom. Both posttraumatic growth and wisdom measures contributed independently to intrapersonal strength. Implications for posttraumatic growth and wisdom research are discussed.