Toward a More Credible Understanding of Post-Traumatic Growth

Traditional research on post-traumatic growth has utilized methodologically flawed cross-sectional designs that involve retrospective assessments of post-traumatic growth. This has resulted in a majority of research in this field suffering from a lack of credibility and reliability. In this special issue, we present nine articles that seek to make innovative conceptual and methodological contributions with the goal of promoting better research practices on post-traumatic growth. In the introduction to this special issue, we provide an overview of these contributions, and discuss the implications of these articles both to improving future scholarship and to encouraging personality scientists to examine this important phenomenon in the years and decades to come.

Automated summary

Traditional research on post-traumatic growth has been criticized for using flawed methodology and lacking credibility and reliability. This special issue presents nine articles that aim to improve research practices on post-traumatic growth through innovative conceptual and methodological contributions. The articles not only provide an overview of these contributions, but also discuss their implications for future scholarship and encourage further exploration by personality scientists in the coming years and decades.