Posttraumatic Growth After Divorce: Contribution of Values Beyond Demographic Variables

Abstract This study investigated to which extent human values explain posttraumatic growth in the context of divorce, even controlling by age, gender and divorce time. Two-hundred people who experienced the divorce responded to Posttraumatic Growth Inventory, Basic Values Questionnaire and demographic questions (M age = 38.4, SD = 11.51). Among the demographic variables only the gender was important to explain the growth, more evident among women. In addition, human values proved to be an important construct to explain. Social (interactive and normative) and existence subfunctions were the most important; between personal values, only those of the promotion subfunction did so. In conclusion, these findings were discussed at light of the literature, pointing out the importance of human values.