Abstract
Background and aims: Post-traumatic growth refers to the positive psychological changes experienced after an incident. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is seen as a traumatic incident that impacts many aspects of a person's life. The present study aimed to investigate the association between perceived social support and mental health with the post-traumatic growth model through the mediating role of coping strategies in COVID-19 recovered patients.
Methods: This study was conducted using a path analysis method from the correlation matrix. The research population included all COVID-19 recovered patients in Golestan Province. Using the convenience sampling method, 300 patients who recovered from COVID-19 were selected. The research instruments included the Post-Traumatic Growth Inventory, the General Health Questionnaire, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and the Ways of Coping Questionnaire. The data was analyzed through structural equation modeling (SEM) using SPSS and AMOS software version 25.
Results: The findings revealed that the suggested model fit the data. The relationship between post-traumatic growth, perceived social support, and mental health with problem-focused coping strategies were positive and significant (P<0.01). The relations between mental health and perceived social support with post-traumatic growth were positive and significant. Post-traumatic growth and perceived social support had a negative and significant relationship with emotion-focused strategies (P<0.01). Furthermore, the relationship between mental health and emotion-focused strategies was not significant.
Conclusion: Mental health, perceived social support, and problem-focused strategies play an essential role in COVID-19 patients' post-traumatic growth. As a result, they might be helpful in minimizing the psychological impact of COVID-19.