Abstract

Post-traumatic growth (PTG) refers to a positive change and maturation that occurs after traumatic events as a consequence of coping with trauma. Previous studies showed that perceived social support, search for meaning, and presence of meaning respectively have positive associations with PTG. However, inadequate research exists that comprehensively examined these variables in female college students who experienced interpersonal trauma. Therefore, this study investigated whether search for meaning and presence of meaning sequentially mediated the relationship between perceived social support and PTG. In total, 274 female college students participated in the study and completed self-report questionnaires. The results showed that both search for meaning and presence of meaning mediated the relationship between perceived social support and PTG. Moreover, serial mediation was significant; perceived social support increased search for meaning that, in turn, led to increased presence of meaning, and ultimately to an increased level of PTG. The current results indicate that perceived social support can function as a psychological resource that can facilitate search for meaning among female college students with interpersonal trauma, paving the way for presence of meaning linked to PTG. Finally, we discuss the practical implications of this study and provide suggestions for future research.