Exploring Facilitators of post-traumatic growth in patients with Covid-19: Thematic Analysis

The prevalence of Covid-19 in the world has caused many mental and physical problems for individuals, but some people experience post-traumatic growth despite these problems. The aim of the present study was to explain post-traumatic growth facilitators based on the experiences of patients with Covid-19. A qualitative research design was conducted using content analysis method. Twenty-five participants were selected using purposive sampling and interviewed using semi-structured and in-depth interviews. Purposeful sampling was used to achieve data saturation. Data were analyzed according to the step-by-step process of Brown and Clark content analysis using MAXQDA software. </strong>Data analysis resulted in 90 initial codes, 23 basic themes, and 6 organizing themes. The most important facilitating factors and their sub-categories were: Perception of support (support of friends, support of family, self-sacrifice, support of medical staff); Spirituality (spiritual beliefs, spiritual behaviors, religious background); Personality traits (optimism, extraversion, hardiness, no history of neuroticism, flexibility, conscientiousness, self-efficacy and deep thinking); Safe attachment (safe family relationships, feelings of being loved); experience of going through a crisis (unfortunate events, history of illness, history of loss, facing death); And demographic variables (youth, higher education). The results showed that various factors may facilitate post-traumatic growth in patients with Covid-19. Identification of these facilitators can significantly help in designing and modifying intervention programs for patients with Covid-19.