The Causal Modeling of Post-Traumatic Growth in Earthquake-Stricken Individuals Based on Social Support, Mindfulness, and Rumination with Mediating Role of Acceptance and Action

Natural disasters such as earthquakes might result in long term psychological outcomes. The aim of the current study was to test the causal model of post-traumatic growth among earthquake-stricken persons based on social support, mindfulness, and rumination with the mediating role of acceptance and action.

The method of this study was descriptive-correlational. Participants included 120 adults who experienced the earthquake of November 2017 in SarpolZahab city, Kermanshah, Iran, who were selected by cluster sampling. Data were collected using the Post-Traumatic Growth Inventory, Social Support Scale, Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness Skills, Ruminative Response Scale, and Acceptance and Action Questionnaire II. Data analysis was performed using structural equation modeling via SPSS software version 22 and Lisrel software version 8.8.

The mean (SD) age of participants was 21.2 (5.9). With the increase in rumination with a mean (SD) 43.7 (12.7), post-traumatic growth with a mean (SD) 54.8 (14.2) decreased. With the increase in mindfulness with a mean (SD) 62.8 (15.1), social support with a mean (SD) 53.1 (12.5) and acceptance and action with a mean (SD) 53.8 (17.6) post-traumatic growth increased (P<0.01). Post-traumatic growth increased with an increase in acceptance and action. Acceptance and action are also modulated in the relations of rumination, mindfulness, and social support with post-traumatic growth.

The acceptance and action and post-traumatic growth decreased with increasing rumination and increased with increasing Mindfulness and social support. Furthermore, increasing acceptance and action increased post-traumatic growth. Mindfulness and social support increase post-traumatic growth indirectly with increasing acceptance and action. Rumination led to decreased post-traumatic growth via decreasing acceptance and action.