This study is to research the mediating effects of optimism and quality of relationship which interpersonal traumatic experience influences posttraumatic growth. It focuss on verifying the impact of interpersonal traumatic experience to optimism and q...
This study is to research the mediating effects of optimism and quality of relationship which interpersonal traumatic experience influences posttraumatic growth. It focuss on verifying the impact of interpersonal traumatic experience to optimism and quality of relationship and the influence of optimism and quality of relationship to posttraumatic growth. And also it is to verify dual mediating effect between optimism and quality of relationship.
This study adopted a non probability sampling method, targeting adult more than 30 years under 60 years mainly in Seoul, Gyeonggi, Daejeon, Jeolla, Chungcheong province. Total 600 questionnaires were distributed to be returned with 88.6%, 532. 405 were used in analysis which excluded those with respondents who had no interpersonal traumatic experience at all and those who had not completed the survey so to be judged as unfaithful.
Descriptive statistics and frequency analysis were implemented to describe socio-demographic characteristics of research subjects and major variables. Reliability analysis and factor analysis were used to check reliability and validity of each variables. Also by using AMOS program, Structure Equation Model(SEM) was implemented to verify the mediating effect between optimism and quality of relationship. Finally, Phantom Variable was utilized for verification of indirect influence of a multi mediating effects.
Major findings are as follows.
First, the result shows that the higher level interpersonal traumatic experience, the higher posttraumatic growth they have. It suggests the necessity of understanding psychological threat and pain from newly different perspective .
Second, it shows that the higher level interpersonal traumatic experience, the lower optimism and quality of relationship they have. From this finding, it can predict that individual psychological anxiety and/or pain caused from trauma rather than traumatic event itself influence one’s degree of optimism. In addition, the higher level of interpersonal traumatic experience, the lower relationship they have. It could be interpreted that the interpersonal traumatic experiences negatively influence to one’s life, which are support from others including family, satisfaction from the relationship, trust and a sense of belonging.
Third, the correlation of optimism and the quality of relationship tells that the higher optimism, the higher the quality of relationship. Positive people tend to think positive, so that positively evaluate not only themselves also others, environments, and own futures. Furthermore, those who has higher optimism show compromising styles in interpersonal conflict. From this, we can predict that they are much more advantageous than those who have low optimism to maintain the relationship.
Fourth, it shows that those who experienced interpersonal trauma have high level of optimism and quality of relationship tend to highly recognize posttraumatic growth, as they do not deny traumatic experience itself and actively strive to understand and to overcome it. For the fact that quality of relationship and posttraumatic growth have positive(+) relationship, it suggests the necessity of social work perspective based interventions toward traumatic experience.
Fifth, it shows that optimism and quality of relationship have partial mediating effect between interpersonal traumatic experience and posttraumatic growth.
Also it was analyzed that optimism and quality of relationship had double mediating effect. This study substantiated the verification of multi mediating effect that the higher level of interpersonal traumatic experience, the higher level of posttrumatic growth they have, but at the same time it also shows the possibilities on intervention effect of optimism and enhance quality of relationship to higher posttraumatic growth.
Theological, political and practical implications of this study are as follows.
First, it has a series of significance in terms of that this study confirmed its influence considering the quality of relationship from interpersonal experience among relevant factors of traumatic accident, optimism among individual factors, quality of relationship among environmental factors based on 'the crisis of life and the theory of individual growth'. In this process, it confirms once again the importance of optimism with changeable features by environments, applicability in the site of social welfare. And quality of relationship was dealt only mainly with fragmentary features such as variables of social support, and relationship satisfaction, attachment from previous study so far, this study proved its explanatory power to integrate with 'quality of relationship', to input more comprehensive variables.
Second, even though optimism and quality of relationship were proved as major predictors for posttraumatic growth of those who experience interpersonal traumatic, psychological support center for traumatic experience is not operated systematically in Korea. From this, the need for policy to support those who experience trauma psychologically was posed. The necessity of delivering system as well as actual central control tower was also suggested additionally.
Third, this study implies that it should intervene mainly with its optimism and quality of relationship in the site of those who experience interpersonal trauma such as any abuses including sexual abuse, bullying, and divorce. Moreover, providing systematical education system which enable to intervene considering types and degree of various trauma targeting specialists who provide service those who experience trauma directly.
keywords : interpersonal trauma, optimism, quality of relationship, posttraumatic growth, phantom variable, multiple mediating effect