Jing Chen1, Jie Li2, Yuyang Zhou3, Xiaoyan Liu4, Wei Xu5. 1. Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education (Beijing Normal University), Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University; School of Psychology, Nanjing Normal University. 2. The Department of Psychology, Renmin University of China, Beijing, 100872, China; The Laboratory of the Department of Psychology, Renmin University of China, Beijing, 100872, China. 3. College of Business, Florida International University. 4. Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education (Beijing Normal University), Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University. 5. Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education (Beijing Normal University), Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University; The Department of Psychology, Renmin University of China, Beijing, 100872, China; The Laboratory of the Department of Psychology, Renmin University of China, Beijing, 100872, China. Electronic address: livingxw@163.com.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Among impact factors of firefighters' posttraumatic growth (PTG) investigated in previous research, perceived social support has been considered as a major protective one and has gained persuasive evidence for its positive association with PTG. However, little is known about the factors influencing the relationship between firefighters' perceived social support and PTG. This study explored whether dispositional mindfulness moderates the longitudinal relationship between perceived social support and PTG. METHODS: A total of 340 Chinese firefighters who have worked for at least one year reported their levels of perceived social support from within/outside their families (The Perceived Social Support Scale; PSSS) and dispositional mindfulness (Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale; MAAS) at baseline, and they reported their posttraumatic growth (Posttraumatic Growth Inventory; PTGI) at both baseline and 3-month follow-up. RESULTS: The current study found that for individuals with higher levels of dispositional mindfulness, their perceived social supports within family was positively associated with PTG, while for individuals with lower levels of dispositional mindfulness, there is no significant relationship between them. However, dispositional mindfulness did not moderate the relationship between social support from outside and PTG. LIMITATION: Generalizations of our findings to sufferers of other traumatic experiences or different age groups need to be done with caution. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that individuals with high levels of dispositional mindfulness are more likely to benefit from the attention and awareness on the present experiences with greater compassion and hence are more able to acquire positive resources, which leads to greater development of PTG.
BACKGROUND: Among impact factors of firefighters' posttraumatic growth (PTG) investigated in previous research, perceived social support has been considered as a major protective one and has gained persuasive evidence for its positive association with PTG. However, little is known about the factors influencing the relationship between firefighters' perceived social support and PTG. This study explored whether dispositional mindfulness moderates the longitudinal relationship between perceived social support and PTG. METHODS: A total of 340 Chinese firefighters who have worked for at least one year reported their levels of perceived social support from within/outside their families (The Perceived Social Support Scale; PSSS) and dispositional mindfulness (Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale; MAAS) at baseline, and they reported their posttraumatic growth (Posttraumatic Growth Inventory; PTGI) at both baseline and 3-month follow-up. RESULTS: The current study found that for individuals with higher levels of dispositional mindfulness, their perceived social supports within family was positively associated with PTG, while for individuals with lower levels of dispositional mindfulness, there is no significant relationship between them. However, dispositional mindfulness did not moderate the relationship between social support from outside and PTG. LIMITATION: Generalizations of our findings to sufferers of other traumatic experiences or different age groups need to be done with caution. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that individuals with high levels of dispositional mindfulness are more likely to benefit from the attention and awareness on the present experiences with greater compassion and hence are more able to acquire positive resources, which leads to greater development of PTG.