A cross-sectional study to explore the mediating effect of intrinsic aspiration on the association between unconditional positive self-regard and posttraumatic growth

Murphy, David; Demetriou, Evangelia; Joseph, Stephen

Abstract

Person-centered psychotherapy is based on the growth paradigm of psychological distress. Person-centered therapy is, therefore, ideally placed to facilitate posttraumatic growth. There were two aims of this study. The first was to explore the association between unconditional positive self-regard and the construct of posttraumatic growth. The second was to explore the mediating effect of intrinsic aspirations on the association between unconditional positive self-regard and posttraumatic growth. A cross-sectional correlation design was used to ask a sample of Cypriot origin participants (N = 99) to complete the Unconditional Positive Self-Regard Scale (UPSR), Intrinsic Aspirations subscale of the Aspirations Index and Post Traumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI). Findings showed that unconditional positive self-regard was significantly positively correlated with posttraumatic growth and that the association between unconditional positive self-regard and posttraumatic growth was successfully partially mediated by intrinsic aspirations. This is the first study to test for the mechanisms by which unconditional positive self-regard predicts posttraumatic growth. The findings also support a link between the phenomenon of posttraumatic growth and person-centered theory at a construct level. Implications for person-centered therapy are discussed and suggestions for further research are proposed.

Citation

Murphy, D., Demetriou, E., & Joseph, S. (in press). A cross-sectional study to explore the mediating effect of intrinsic aspiration on the association between unconditional positive self-regard and posttraumatic growth. Person-Centered and Experiential Psychotherapies, 14(3), https://doi.org/10.1080/14779757.2015.1051238

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: May 5, 2015
• Online Publication Date: Aug 11, 2015
• Deposit Date: Jun 15, 2016
• Publicly Available Date: Jun 15, 2016
• Journal: Person Centered and Experiential Psychotherapies
• Electronic ISSN: 1477-9757
• Publisher: Routledge
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 14
• Issue: 3
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14779757.2015.1051238
• Keywords: Unconditional positive self-regard; intrinsic aspirations; ; posttraumatic growth
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/759142
• Publisher URL: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14779757.2015.1051238
• Additional Information: This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Person-Centered and Experiential Psychotherapies on 11/08/2015, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/14779757.2015.1051238
• Contract Date: Jun 15, 2016