Posttraumatic growth in college students: Role of rumination, perceived social support and self-efficacy

The purpose of this study is to determine the predictors of post-traumatic growth among college students. Specifically, this research aims to examine the extent to which rumination, self-efficacy and social support serve as predictors of post-traumatic growth. A quantitative, predictive correlational research model was used in this study. The data of the research were collected by convenience sampling method. The participants of the research consist of 487 college students. The sample group included 361 women, 125 men and 1 other. In collecting the data, the demographic information form, Post-traumatic Growth Inventory, Event Related Rumination Inventory, General Self Efficacy Scale, and Multidimensional Perceived Social Support have been applied. Independent Groups t Test, One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), Pearson Product Moment Correlation and Hierarchical Regression Analysis were used in the analysis of the data. The findings of the research indicate that gender (female), primary trauma, deliberate rumination, self-efficacy, and perceived social support were all significant predictors of post-traumatic growth in college students. The independent variables explain 39.2% of the total variance with regard to the overall scores of college students. In contrast, analyses show that secondary trauma and intrusive rumination did not significantly predict post-traumatic growth. Keywords: Post-traumatic Growth, Rumination, Self-efficacy, Social Support