Trauma Severity and Control Beliefs as Predictors of Posttraumatic Growth Among Adolescent Survivors of the Wenchuan Earthquake

This study examined the relationships of trauma exposure and control beliefs with posttraumatic growth (PTG) in a sample of adolescent survivors of the Wenchuan earthquake (Time 1 n = 788, Time 2 n = 243). Results suggested that two aspects of exposure severity (indirect exposure and worry about others) had significantly positive associations with concurrently measured PTG, but only indirect exposure was significantly correlated with changes in PTG from Time 1 to Time 2. Primary and secondary control beliefs were also found to be significantly correlated with concurrently measured PTG, but only secondary control beliefs were significantly associated with changes in PTG. In addition, primary control beliefs moderated the association between worry about others and concurrently measured PTG as well as changes in PTG. These results are discussed in terms of their implications for psychological service providers to adolescents who have had traumatic experiences.