Psychometric Properties of the PTGI and Resilience in Earthquake Survivors in Mexico

Abstract

This study analyzed the psychometric properties of the Post-Traumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI) in a Mexican sample assessed within 2 months of a major earthquake and examined its relationship with resilience. A sample of 198 participants affected by the earthquake was chosen. The exploratory factor analysis revealed three factors: relationship with others (RO), personal strength (PS), and appreciation of life (AL). The results indicate good reliability, both for the total PTGI (α = 0.95) and for each factor: RO = 0.924, PS = 0.886, AL = 0.856. Because post-traumatic growth has been pointed out to be more characteristic of highly vulnerable people, the positive correlation (r = 0.456) found with resilience suggests that vulnerability is probably not a necessary condition for post-traumatic growth. We can conclude that PTGI is a reliable instrument and that the factorial structure of the instrument seems to vary in different cultures.