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Difference Between Accessible Social Network and Perceived Social Support in Posttraumatic Growth

Received: 11 April 2021     Published: 4 June 2021
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Abstract

Posttraumatic growth is the positive change in people’s thoughts, behaviors, interests among people who were exposed to some serious traumas. Social support has been an important factor for posttraumatic growth, but limited study has looked into the differences between subjectively social support and objectively social support. This paper investigated the relationship between social support (perceived and accessible) and posttraumatic growth. The data were collected from 200 Chinese students through a self-report online survey. The survey includes evaluation of posttraumatic growth, posttraumatic stress disorder, perceived and accessible social support, social network diversity, socioeconomic status, and also trauma history questionnaire. The regression test showed a significant positive correlation between the variables and we further looked into whether there is a difference between perceived social support and accessible social resources. Using the regression test again, we found out that posttraumatic growth is most likely benefit from both perceived SS and objectively accessible social resources. This result suggests that people don’t need to have accessible social support as long as they believe they will receive support when they need it, or people do not need to believe they have social support around them as long as the community is providing different types of support. Either of the movements is possible to help people to develop PTG after trauma.

Published in Psychology and Behavioral Sciences (Volume 10, Issue 3)
DOI 10.11648/j.pbs.20211003.13
Page(s) 121-124
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Posttraumatic Growth, Social Support, Social Network, College Students

References
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[2] Tedeschi, R. G., & Calhoun, L. G. (1996). The posttraumatic growth inventory: Measuring the positive legacy of trauma. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 9 (3), 455-471.
[3] Loiselle, K. A., Devine, K. A., Reed-Knight, B., et al. (2011). Posttraumatic Growth Associated With a Relative's Serious Illness. Families Systems & Health, 29 (1), 64-72.
[4] Wu, C., Liu, Y., Ma, S., Jing, G., Zhou, W., Qu, L., Wang, Z., Cheng, M., & Wu, Y. (2021). The mediating roles of coping styles and resilience in the relationship between perceived social support and posttraumatic growth among primary caregivers of schizophrenic patients: A cross-sectional study. BMC Psychiatry, 21. https://doi-org.ezproxy.lib.utexas.edu/10.1186/s12888-021-03058-9
[5] Li, Y., Qiao, Y., Luan, X., Li, S., & Wang, K. (2019). Family resilience and psychological well‐being among Chinese breast cancer survivors and their caregivers. European Journal of Cancer Care, 28 (2), 1–8. https://doi-org.ezproxy.lib.utexas.edu/10.1111/ecc.12984
[6] Zhang, L., Lu, Y., Qin, Y., Xue, J., & Chen, Y. (2020). Post-traumatic growth and related factors among 1221 Chinese cancer survivors. Psycho-Oncology, 29 (2), 413–422. https://doi-org.ezproxy.lib.utexas.edu/10.1002/pon.5279
[7] Yu, Y., Peng, L., Chen, L., et al. (2014). Resilience and social support promote posttraumatic growth of women with infertility: The mediating role of positive coping. Psychiatry Research, 215 (2), 401–405. https://doi-org.ezproxy.lib.utexas.edu/10.1016/j.psychres.2013.10.032
[8] Zhao, Y., An, Y., Sun, X., et al. (2020). Self-Acceptance, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Post-Traumatic Growth, and the Role of Social Support in Chinese Rescue Workers. Journal of Loss & Trauma, 25 (3), 264-277.
[9] Roohi, S., Salehi, J., Mahmoodzadeh, H., et al. (2020). Relationship of Social Support and Coping Strategies with Post-Traumatic Growth and Functional Disability Among Patients with Cancer: Meditating Role of Health Literacy. Iranian Red Crescent Medical Journal, 22 (3), Article e98347, pp. 1-9.
[10] Boullion, G. Q., Pavlacic, J. M., Schulenberg, S. E., Buchanan, E. M., & Steger, M. F. (2020). Meaning, social support, and resilience as predictors of posttraumatic growth: A study of the Louisiana flooding of August 2016. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 90 (5), 578–585. https://doi-org.ezproxy.lib.utexas.edu/10.1037/ort0000464
[11] Lakey, B., & Drew, J. B.. A social-cognitive perspective on social support. In Sourcebook of social support and personality New York, NY, US: Plenum Press, 1997, pp. 107-140.
[12] Zimet, G. D., Dahlem, N. W., Zimet, S. G., et al. (1988). The multidimensional scale of perceived social support. Journal of personality assessment, 52 (1), 30-41.
[13] Cohen, S., Doyle, W. J., Skoner, et al. (1997). Social ties and susceptibility to the common cold. Jama-Journal of the American Medical Association, 277 (24), 1940-1944. //WOS:A1997XF08700038.
[14] Hooper, L. M., Stockton, P., Krupnick, J. L., et al. (2011). Development, Use, and Psychometric Properties of the Trauma History Questionnaire. Journal of Loss & Trauma, 16 (3), 258-283.
[15] Blevins, C. A., Weathers, F. W., Davis, M. T., Witte, T. K., & Domino, J. L. (2015). The Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5): Development and initial psychometric evaluation. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 28, 489-498. doi: 10.1002/jts.22059.
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    Jiaying Xu. (2021). Difference Between Accessible Social Network and Perceived Social Support in Posttraumatic Growth. Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, 10(3), 121-124. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.pbs.20211003.13

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    ACS Style

    Jiaying Xu. Difference Between Accessible Social Network and Perceived Social Support in Posttraumatic Growth. Psychol. Behav. Sci. 2021, 10(3), 121-124. doi: 10.11648/j.pbs.20211003.13

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    AMA Style

    Jiaying Xu. Difference Between Accessible Social Network and Perceived Social Support in Posttraumatic Growth. Psychol Behav Sci. 2021;10(3):121-124. doi: 10.11648/j.pbs.20211003.13

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  • @article{10.11648/j.pbs.20211003.13,
      author = {Jiaying Xu},
      title = {Difference Between Accessible Social Network and Perceived Social Support in Posttraumatic Growth},
      journal = {Psychology and Behavioral Sciences},
      volume = {10},
      number = {3},
      pages = {121-124},
      doi = {10.11648/j.pbs.20211003.13},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.pbs.20211003.13},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.pbs.20211003.13},
      abstract = {Posttraumatic growth is the positive change in people’s thoughts, behaviors, interests among people who were exposed to some serious traumas. Social support has been an important factor for posttraumatic growth, but limited study has looked into the differences between subjectively social support and objectively social support. This paper investigated the relationship between social support (perceived and accessible) and posttraumatic growth. The data were collected from 200 Chinese students through a self-report online survey. The survey includes evaluation of posttraumatic growth, posttraumatic stress disorder, perceived and accessible social support, social network diversity, socioeconomic status, and also trauma history questionnaire. The regression test showed a significant positive correlation between the variables and we further looked into whether there is a difference between perceived social support and accessible social resources. Using the regression test again, we found out that posttraumatic growth is most likely benefit from both perceived SS and objectively accessible social resources. This result suggests that people don’t need to have accessible social support as long as they believe they will receive support when they need it, or people do not need to believe they have social support around them as long as the community is providing different types of support. Either of the movements is possible to help people to develop PTG after trauma.},
     year = {2021}
    }
    

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    T1  - Difference Between Accessible Social Network and Perceived Social Support in Posttraumatic Growth
    AU  - Jiaying Xu
    Y1  - 2021/06/04
    PY  - 2021
    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.pbs.20211003.13
    DO  - 10.11648/j.pbs.20211003.13
    T2  - Psychology and Behavioral Sciences
    JF  - Psychology and Behavioral Sciences
    JO  - Psychology and Behavioral Sciences
    SP  - 121
    EP  - 124
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2328-7845
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.pbs.20211003.13
    AB  - Posttraumatic growth is the positive change in people’s thoughts, behaviors, interests among people who were exposed to some serious traumas. Social support has been an important factor for posttraumatic growth, but limited study has looked into the differences between subjectively social support and objectively social support. This paper investigated the relationship between social support (perceived and accessible) and posttraumatic growth. The data were collected from 200 Chinese students through a self-report online survey. The survey includes evaluation of posttraumatic growth, posttraumatic stress disorder, perceived and accessible social support, social network diversity, socioeconomic status, and also trauma history questionnaire. The regression test showed a significant positive correlation between the variables and we further looked into whether there is a difference between perceived social support and accessible social resources. Using the regression test again, we found out that posttraumatic growth is most likely benefit from both perceived SS and objectively accessible social resources. This result suggests that people don’t need to have accessible social support as long as they believe they will receive support when they need it, or people do not need to believe they have social support around them as long as the community is providing different types of support. Either of the movements is possible to help people to develop PTG after trauma.
    VL  - 10
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Author Information
  • Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, United States

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