Does Post-Traumatic Growth Follow Parental Death in Adulthood? An Empirical Investigation.

This study looked at the loss of a parent in adulthood and whether this was followed by post-traumatic growth? Participants, 100 bereaved adults, from Pakistan and England, lost parents in the last 10 years. They completed three questionnaires. The study hypotheses were, first, that participants whose bereavement occurred more than five years ago would show significantly higher levels of post-traumatic growth. Second, participants with higher levels of post-traumatic growth would experience significantly higher grief scores. Thirdly, participants with higher levels of post-traumatic growth would show significantly higher levels of coping skills. Two hypotheses were rejected, only one received partial support. Yet, levels of post-traumatic growth were high in this sample. Post-traumatic growth does not follow every bereavement. The authors provide autoethnographic material to challenge this. Circumstances surrounding bereavement during the Covid-19 pandemic, are more likely to lead to increases in complicated grief reactions, rather than post-traumatic growth.

Losing a Loved One During the Covid-19 Pandemic: An On-Line Survey Looking at the Effects on Traumatic Stress, Coping and Post-Traumatic Growth.

The Covid-19 pandemic has had a devastating effect across the world. In the UK alone, the death toll is 132,742, with 207 people dying the previous day and a total of 6,825,074 cases of Covid-19 thus far (September 1st, 2021). The aim of this study was to look at post-traumatic stress, coping skills and post-traumatic growth in relatives, who lost a loved one during the pandemic. Some 185 individuals took part in a Qualtrics survey. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire, the Impact of Event Scale-Revised, the Coping Assessment for Bereavement and Loss (CABLE) and the Post-Traumatic Growth Questionnaire. There were two major findings. First, there were very high levels of post-traumatic stress, with 94.6% of the sample scoring above the threshold of 33 for a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Second, levels of post-traumatic growth were very low. Losing a relative during the Covid-19 pandemic may lead to more PTSD. The circumstances surrounding many Covid deaths, may have long term negative consequences for the bereaved relatives.