From Trauma to Growth: The Roles of Event Centrality, Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms, and Deliberate Rumination

Researchers have increasingly found that traumatic events cannot only lead to pathological outcomes such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but also to positive outcomes such as posttraumatic growth (PTG). Consistent with Tedeschi and Calhoun's (2004) conceptual model of PTG, individuals must experience at least a moderate level of distress to experience growth. Moderate distress can also trigger deliberate rumination or meaning making, which can lead to PTG. Berntsen and Rubin (2006) have proposed that a traumatic event is most likely to elicit distress and subsequent rumination when it involves a fundamental or central aspect of one's identity. Accordingly, in a large sample of trauma-exposed undergraduates (N = 269), the present study examined a serial mediational model in which the effect of event centrality on PTG is mediated by both PTSD symptoms and deliberate rumination. Results supported this model, indicating that traumatic events that are appraised as central can lead to distress and activate deliberate rumination, which has a positive effect on PTG. These findings highlight the contributions of event centrality, PTSD symptoms, and deliberate rumination in their association with PTG. Thus, by specifically examining the ways in which individuals engage in cognitive processing, such as through a more deliberate and focused strategy, trauma survivors could experience greater positive outcomes. The present study contributes to the PTG literature by identifying additional cognitive constructs that are associated with PTG. Future longitudinal studies should be conducted to assess the path of the aftermath of traumatic events.