Examination of the Relationship between Post-Traumatic Growth and Perceived Social Support During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Severe concerns about catching a disease during the COVID-19 epidemic and the loss of relatives due to coronavirus can traumatize individuals. However, psychologically traumatizing experiences do not always lead to negative psychological consequences. Post-traumatic growth indicates the positive shifts that appear due to the coping methods that individuals exhibit while struggling with traumatic experiences. Perceived social support is thought to play an essential role in growth after traumatic experiences. The purpose of this research is to investigate the relationship between the grade of social support perceived by young adults and the level of post-traumatic growth throughout the COVID-19 epidemic term. The sample of the investigation consists of 467 (325 female, 69.6% female, 142 male, 30.4% male) young adult individuals between the ages of 18-35. The study data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) 25.00 Program. In data analysis, Pearson Correlation Test and Multiple Linear Regression Analysis were applied. In the study, it was detected that the level of post-traumatic growth enhanced as the perceived social support level of young adult individuals increased during the COVID-19 pandemic days. It has seen that social support from family and special persons predicts post traumatic growth.