Background
The meaning-making process (MMprocess) is a key factor in recovering from traumatic situations (Frankl, 1963; Park, 2017), particularly for young adults, one of the population’s segment most affected by COVID-19’s disruptive effects (e.g. Park et al., 2020). Although MMprocess positive outcome (i.e. finding meaning in life) is considered a strong predictor of positive growth (e.g. Tedeschi et al., 2018), no attempt has been made to discover which MMprocess dynamics could best predict post traumatic growth. Among the few studies investigating the MMprocess at a dynamic level (i.e. daily interwining of presence and search of MIL; e.g. Newman et al., 2018), no one used Dynamic Structural Equations Models (DSEM; Asparouhov et al., 2017), a newborn technique that allows to measure: how MIL dimensions influence each other from one day to the next (i.e. spillover effect); how they are maintained over time (i.e. carryover effect); and what predictor and outcomes they are related to.
Hypotheses/Research Questions
Aims: describe how MMprocess dynamics evolve daily; discover which dynamics best predict PTG after a short (14 days) and medium (6 month) time-span.
Sample Characteristics and Sample Size
333 Italian young adults (aged 18-35)
Design
Daily diary study: daily presence and search of MIL (SMIL; under validation) was assessed for 14 consecutive nights beween the lock-down and the first reopening. Post Traumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI; Tedeschi & Calhoun, 1996) was assessed before and after the daily study, and in a six month follow-up.
Results
This project is under pre-registration acceptance. Analysis plan: after checking reliability/validity of SMIL and PTGI, a series of DSEM will be applied to test our hypothesis.
Scientific Contribution
This study configures as a novelty both in meaning-making as in the traumatic literature. Moreover, it will shed light on how young adults dealt with covid pandemic.