| In a sample of bereaved individuals, this study examined person- and event-related predictors of posttraumatic growth (PTG). Specifically, the person characteristic of dispositional forgiveness (DF), and the event characteristics of forewarning and perceived severity of the death, were investigated. The latter two variables were each measured by a one-item, author-derived Likert question. It was hypothesized that individuals with greater amounts of DF, as well as those who perceived the death as more severe, would report higher amounts of PTG. Exploratory analyses, with no associated hypotheses, were also conducted involving the independent impact of forewarning, the interaction effect of both forewarning and severity, and the interaction effects involving DF and each of the two event-related characteristics on PTG following loss. Because of the strong association between religiosity and PTG, religiosity was used as a covariate in all analyses. Measures used in this study included the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory, the Tendency to Forgive Scale, the Duke University Religion Index, the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale-Ballard Short Form 1, and a background questionnaire designed for the study.;The final sample consisted of 184 bereaved individuals who were primarily older, well-educated Caucasians who had lost an older loved one to natural causes. Based on significant differences across numerous variables as a function of recruitment source, the original sample was divided into two subsamples, and recruitment source was used as an additional covariate. Although many participants endorsed growth from their struggle with loss, overall amounts of PTG were less than expected compared to another bereaved sample. While there was a significant positive correlation between DF and PTG in one of the two subsamples (i.e., for non-hospice participants), DF failed to significantly predict PTG when recruitment source and religiosity were used as covariates in a hierarchical regression analysis. Likewise, forewarning of death was not a substantial predictor of PTG, either independently or in combination with other predictors. On the other hand, perceived severity of the death was a significant predictor of growth, in that greater perceived severity was associated with higher amounts of PTG. This finding supported contemporary theories of PTG. Similarly, participants who reported greater religiosity also reported more PTG. Finally, there were no significant interaction effects involving DF and either forewarning or perceived severity of the death. Possible explanations for these findings, along with limitations of the current study and implications to theory, research, and practice, are offered.;Keywords: Posttraumatic Growth, PTG, Bereavement, Dispositional Forgiveness, Forewarning of Death, Severity of Death. |
