Exploring the relationship between threat arising from the COVID-19 pandemic and posttraumatic growth, values congruent behaviour, and prosocial behaviour

The COVID-19 pandemic presents an opportunity to study the collective traumatic impacts of a global health crisis. Collective trauma refers to an event or period of time during which large numbers of people are exposed to threat, in such a way that it impacts the beliefs or narratives of the group indefinitely (Shamai, 2016). This can include acute stressors, escalating stressors (i.e.; public health epidemics), and chronic stressors (Luszcynska et al., 2009). The COVID-19 pandemic can be classified as escalating collective trauma. Collective trauma can lead to positive psychological outcomes (PPO) such as posttraumatic growth (PTG) (Wozniak et al., 2020) and prosocial behavior (Frazier et al., 2013). PTG is defined as, “positive psychological changes experienced as a result of the struggle with traumatic or highly challenging life circumstances” (Tedeschi et al., 2018, p.3). It can include changes in self, relationships, and worldview (Tedeschi & Calhoun, 1995). In order for PTG to develop, the traumatic stressor must be sufficient to disrupt previous core beliefs and elicit struggle to recreate worldview (Tedeschi et al.). It is unknown whether financial threat would yield sufficient distress to create the conditions necessary to foster PTG. Prosocial behavior is defined as an interpersonal behavior that is socially and contextually determined to be beneficial to others (Dovidio et al., 2006). When survivors of trauma report PTG and participation in prosocial behaviors, they describe increases in well-being (Frazier et al., 2013). Communities benefit from PPOs as they can yield increased helping behavior by survivors (Frazier et al., 2013). Existing research on the positive outcomes of collective trauma, however, predominantly focuses on mass casualty events such as school shootings (Wusik et al., 2015) or terrorist events (Rime et al., 2010). More information is needed to understand how global health crises, like the COVID-19 pandemic, contribute to the development of PPOs. This research project will examine the following hypotheses: 1. High ratings of threat and disruption of core beliefs will relate to higher PTG 2. Individuals who report PTG will also report increased engagement in prosocial behaviours and values congruent behaviours. 3. Prosocial and Values congruent behaviours will be most highly correlated with the Appreciation of Life and New Possibilities domains of PTG.