Understanding Perceptions of Benefit Following Adversity: How Do Distinct Assessments of Growth Relate to Coping and Adjustment to Stressful Events?

Abstract

Research on stress-related growth typically relies on individuals' retrospective perceptions of growth, not indications of change in personal attributes over time (i.e., measured growth). This longitudinal study sought to: (1) examine the correspondence of perceived and measured growth, (2) elucidate the relations of these forms of growth, coping strategies, and change in adjustment in undergraduates (N = 162), and (3) examine whether current measurement approaches for self-perceived growth adequately capture the theoretical construct of psychological growth. Participants were undergraduates assessed at study entry and at 6 weeks. Perceptions of stress-related growth were not correlated with measured growth. In a path model, measured growth predicted increased positive mood and decreased distress. Perceived growth predicted increased positive mood, mediated by approach-oriented coping, as well as increased distress, partially mediated by coping through denial. These findings have implications for the measurement of stress-related growth and highlight the distinction between perceived and measured growth.