Lewandowski, Felix
(2024)
The PRAISE Scale of Posttraumatic Growth: Development, Validation and Exploration of its Relationship with Trait Resilience.
PhD thesis, University of Nottingham.
Abstract
Background: Individuals who adapt well to adversity (e.g., traumatic events) and recover quickly are often described as resilient. However, there are also individuals who report positive psychological changes beyond pre-adversity levels, referred to as posttraumatic growth (PTG). Existing research on the association between resilience and PTG yields conflicting results due to varied definitions and operationalisations of each construct. This thesis aims to explore whether trait resilience predicts the development of PTG over time.
As the traditional approach to measuring PTG is widely criticised to assess perceptions of PTG rather than actual ‘veridical’ changes in pre-to-post functioning, the Possibilities, Relationships, Appreciation of Life, Strength, Existence (PRAISE) scale is developed and psychometrically validated to examine veridical PTG as trajectories of psychological functioning over time. The PRAISE scale is used to test the main research question of this thesis.
Methods: In Chapter 2, a scoping review identified existing measures of veridical PTG, the study designs they were embedded in, and the research questions these studies addressed. As the six identified measures were considered unsuitable, the 28-item PRAISE scale was developed in Chapter 3 by adapting items from other PTG measures and revised after an initial psychometric analysis (n = 569). The psychometric validation of the PRAISE scale – including its factor structure, convergent validity and test-retest reliability and the predictive validity of the Relationship dimension – was conducted in Chapter 4 (nT1 = 619; nT2 = 94). In Chapter 5, the factor model fit of the PRAISE scale was compared to that of two other measures of veridical PTG (n = 303).
In Chapter 6, a longitudinal study (n = 285) examined the association between trait resilience and veridical PTG in individuals with recent adverse experiences. Trait resilience was measured at time point 1 using the Engineering, Ecological, and Adaptive Capacity (EEA) resilience scale, while veridical PTG was measured via the PRAISE scale in three surveys over four months.
Results: The results of Chapter 2 demonstrated that existing measures of veridical PTG had limited applicability, psychometric validity, dimensionality, and conceptual breadth. In Chapters 4 and 5, the PRAISE scale demonstrated a correlated five-factor structure, better factor model fit indices than comparable measures, convergent validity and test-retest reliability. The relationships domain of PRAISE predicted supportive friendship behaviour.
No significant association between trait resilience and veridical PTG was found in the longitudinal study in Chapter 6. Latent growth curve analysis showed stability of PRAISE levels, indicating that change in veridical PTG was not observed in the 4-month design. However, cross-sectional associations revealed that trait resilience – particularly Ecological Resilience – correlated significantly positively with each PRAISE dimension.
Conclusions: Longitudinal studies on veridical PTG face study design challenges that need to be addressed to examine predictors effectively. This thesis describes the development and validation of the PRAISE scale, which is intended to be suitable for longitudinal studies. However, veridical PTG may be rare and only emerge after longer periods than a few months. Future studies should employ prospective study designs spanning at least two years and utilise statistical methods like growth mixture modelling to identify small subsamples who experience veridical PTG. Studies with limited budgets may focus on longitudinal case studies or examine single mechanisms outlined in the PTG model.
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