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Trauma and Post-traumatic Growth: Spirituality and Self-compassion as Mediators Among Parents Who Lost Their Young Children in a Protracted Conflict

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Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to expand the knowledge on trauma and post-traumatic growth (PTG) by exploring this relationship in parents who lost their children in Kashmir (India). The main aim of the present study was to examine whether spirituality and self-compassion mediate the relationship between trauma and PTG. Data were collected from 80 parents in the age range of 35–80 years (Mean Age = 52.09). Traumatic Grief scale Prigerson et al. (in Am J Psychiatry 154:616–623, 1997), Daily Spirituality Scale (Underwood and Teresi, Ann Behav Med 24(1):22–33, 2002), Self-Compassion Scale (Raes et al., Clin Psychol Psychoth 18:250–255, 2011), and PTG Inventory (Tedeschi and Calhoun, J Trauma Stress 9(3):455–471, 1996) scales were used to measure trauma, spirituality, self-compassion, and PTG, respectively. Results of the study indicated the presence of average amount of spirituality and high amount of trauma among the participants. High level of self-compassion and post-traumatic growth was also found among the participants. The results showed that there is no significant direct relationship between trauma and PTG; however, both the indirect paths (trauma, spirituality, and PTG as well as trauma, self-compassion, and PTG) were found to be significant. The results of the present study supported serial mediation model of Trauma and PTG through spirituality and self-compassion. It implies that trauma would lead to spirituality which in turn would lead to self-compassion and which would finally result in PTG. The result provided another lens to see the relationship between trauma and PTG.

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  1. Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, 110025, India

    Masrat Khursheed & Mohammad Ghazi Shahnawaz

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Khursheed, M., Shahnawaz, M.G. Trauma and Post-traumatic Growth: Spirituality and Self-compassion as Mediators Among Parents Who Lost Their Young Children in a Protracted Conflict. J Relig Health 59, 2623–2637 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-020-00980-2

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