Validation and Prediction of the Stress-Related Growth Scale in a Post-Pandemic College Sample

• In Event: AERA Graduate Student Research-in-Progress Session 3
  In Roundtable Session: Critical Questions in Research Measurement and Methodology: Scale Development, Efficacy Validation, and Racial Justice (Table 4)

Abstract

Psychological stress is an inescapable fact of life, but it also serves deep-rooted adaptive purposes. In order to support optimal human development, it is important to understand whether and how positive psychological outcomes might arise from stressful events. This phenomenon has been conceptualized as the construct of Stress-Related Growth, and it has been empirically observed via the Stress-Related Growth Scale (SRGS). However, more work must be done to validate and refine this relatively novel scale and understand its psychometric properties. Using two samples of college students from surveys conducted in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, we conducted factor analysis, correlational analysis, and hierarchical regression to uncover the factor structure and predictors of the SRGS. Our findings suggest that a single-factor structure can encapsulate the SRGS, and we identify Self-Compassion and Purpose as a strong and robust predictor of Stress-Related Growth.

Author

• Thomas J. Bischoff, Temple University