Understanding the Relationship Between Social Support and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder/Posttraumatic Growth Among Adolescents After Ya'an Earthquake: The Role of Emotion Regulation

Objective: Posttraumatic distress disorder (PTSD) and posttraumatic growth (PTG) may coexist in trauma survivors, but there are mixed relationships between PTSD and PTG. To elucidate their relationship and constructs, it is necessary to examine simultaneously predictive factors, and to compare their determining factors. The aim of this study was to increasing our understanding the relationship between PTSD and PTG by examining simultaneously the role of social support and emotion regulation in PTSD and PTG among adolescents after the earthquake. Methods: Six months after the Ya'an earthquake, 315 middle school students in Lushan county were assessed using measures of trauma exposure, social support, and emotion regulation, as well as Child PTSD Symptom Scale and Posttraumatic Growth Inventory. Results: Social support had significant direct association with PTG but not with PTSD, but social support had a negative indirect prediction on PTSD and a positive indirect prediction on PTG through cognitive reappraisal. Social support, through expressive suppression, had a significant and indirect prediction on PTSD, but a nonsignificant indirect prediction on PTG. Conclusions: This study indicate that the predictive mechanism of PTSD and PTG were different and further suggest that PTSD and PTG are separate, independent dimensions of psychological experiences following adversity. This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers. This article is intended solely for the personal use of the individual user and is not to be disseminated broadly.