Posttraumatic stress symptoms and posttraumatic growth among adults: An investigation within the scope of the autobiographical memory, transformed self and mindful-reappraisal models

The main purpose of the current study was to investigate post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and post-traumatic growth (PTG) among adults within the framework of the Autobiographical Memory Model, the Transformed Self Model and the Mindful-Reappraisal Model. According to the Autobiographical Memory Model, when a traumatic or stressful event becomes central to one's life story, its accessibility in the autobiographical memory increases, which in turn triggers rumination and increases PTSS. According to the Transformed Self Model, those adverse events become central to one's self, and they support the TSG by creating an opportunity to rebuild self through positive processing. The Mindful-Reappraisal Model suggests that mindfulness decreases intrusive rumination and increases deliberate rumination, thus it affects the positive and negative consequences of trauma. In line with these aims and models, this study examined the mediator roles of the shaken core beliefs, intrusive rumination, deliberate rumination and positive reappraisal in the relationship between the centrality of event & mindfulness (as well as different sub-dimensions of mindfulness) and PTSD & TSG. For analysis, PROCESS Macro Bootstrap method was used. The sample of the study consisted of 627 participants (444 women and 183 men) between the ages of 18-70 (M = 30.05) who reported that they had experienced a traumatic or stressful event causing significant stress vii and affecting their psychological or physical well-being. Participants completed the Socio-demographic Information Form, the Trauma Checklist (TC), Centrality of Event Scale (CES), Core Beliefs Inventory, Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ) Positive Reappraisal subscale, Event-Related Rumination Inventory (ERRS) Impact of Events Scale-Revised (IES-R) and Posttraumatic Growth Inventory-X (PTGI-X) respectively. In the mediation models in which the Autobiographical Memory Model was tested, it was seen that the serial multiple mediator roles of core beliefs challenge and intrusive rumination between the centrality of the event and PTSS were significant. Moreover, the serial multiple mediator roles of core beliefs challenge, intrusive rumination and deliberate rumination between the centrality of the event and PTG also were significant. In the mediation models in which the Transformed Self Model was tested, it was found that the serial multiple mediator roles of deliberate rumination and positive re-appraisal between the centrality of the event and TSG were significant. In the mediation models in which the Mindful-Reappraisal Model was tested, the simple mediator role of intrusive rumination between mindfulness and PTSS, as well as the serial multiple mediator roles of deliberate rumination and positive re-appraisal between mindfulness and PTG were significant. When this model was tested for different subscales of mindfulness, the results shows the simple mediator role of intrusive rumination between FFMQ-Acting with Awareness and PTSS was significant. In this model, moreover, the serial multiple mediator roles of deliberate rumination and positive reappraisal were also significant between FFMQ-Observing and PTG & between FFMQ-Nonreactivity and PTG. According to the findings, the centrality of the event and mindfulness affect the PTSD and TSG by triggering cognitive processes related to trauma. The findings of the present study were discussed in the light of related theories and literature findings. Keywords: Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms, Posttraumatic Growth, the Autobiographical Memory, Mindfulness Transformed Self.