The role of event centrality, coping and social support in resilience and posttraumatic growth among women and men

Abstract

This study examined gender differences in resilience and posttraumatic growth (PTG) among adults exposed to a range of traumatic events (i.e., events in interpersonal, work/financial, health and bereavement areas). A total of 175 adults (aged between 18 and 52 years) who had experienced a traumatic event in one or more of these areas within the past 2 years completed questionnaires on the impact of the traumatic event (event centrality), individual factors (mastery, coping style), social factors (social support) and positive adaptation (resilience and PTG). Results for the total sample indicated that greater event centrality and use of ineffective coping were negative predictors of resilience, while emotion-focused coping was a positive predictor of resilience. Event centrality, emotion-focused coping and social support were positive predictors of PTG. Some gender differences emerged, such as the finding that event centrality negatively predicted resilience in women, but not in men. Implications and directions for further research are discussed.