Small “t” trauma and post-traumatic growth effect: the mediating role of psychological resilience and cognitive flexibility

This study examined the relationship between small “t” trauma and post-traumatic growth effecand the mediating role of psychological resilience and cognitive flexibility. The participants were 396 university students (290 women and 106 men). They completed the Small “t” Trauma Experiences Determination Scale, the Brief Resilience Scale, the Cognitive Flexibility Inventory, the Post Traumatic Growth Inventory Personal Information Form. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS Statistics 22 and Process V4.2 software with the process macro plugin, employing a serial mediation model and bootstrapping procedure. The findings showed that the direct and indirect effects of small “t” trauma on post-traumatic growth were significant. The bootstrapping procedure also showed that the indirect path in which psychological resilience and cognitive flexibility fully mediate the relationship between small “t” trauma and post-traumatic growth was significant. The results were discussed in light of the obtained findings, and recommendations for future research were provided.