Keywords
person-centered approach
personal adaptability
self-acceptance
internality
acceptance of others
psychological trauma
psychological resources
How to Cite
Abstract
Background. Posttraumatic growth is conceptualized as a positive psychological transformation that may emerge through the processing of traumatic experiences and manifest in changes in self-perception, interpersonal relationships, and life orientations. In the context of the prolonged impact of the war in Ukraine, investigating personal and relational resources associated with such transformations is particularly relevant. Carl Rogers’ person-centered approach provides a promising theoretical framework for understanding these processes, as it considers adaptability, self-acceptance, internality, acceptance of others, and the quality of interpersonal relationships as important resources for personal development.
Objective. To determine the nature and strength of the relationships between indicators of personal adaptability, conceptually aligned with the person-centered approach, and both the overall level and specific domains of posttraumatic growth, as well as to outline the potential significance of the identified personal resources for providing psychological support to individuals with experience of traumatic events.
Methods. The study employed a quantitative correlational design. The sample comprised 103 Ukrainian citizens (90 women and 13 men) who voluntarily participated in an online survey. Personal adaptability was assessed using the Rogers–Dymond Social-Psychological Adaptation Scale, while posttraumatic growth was measured using the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI). The analysis included the total PTG score and its five domains: Relating to Others, New Possibilities, Personal Strength, Spiritual Change, and Appreciation of Life. Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, the Shapiro–Wilk test, and Pearson’s and Spearman’s correlation coefficients. The internal consistency of the PTGI scales was assessed using Cronbach’s α.
Results. A statistically significant positive association was found between overall personal adaptability and posttraumatic growth (ρ = .349, p < .001), whereas maladjustment was negatively associated with the total PTG score (r = −.249, p < .05). The strongest positive associations with overall PTG were observed for dominance (r = .362), adaptation (r = .351), internality (r = .348), and self-acceptance (r = .345). Domain-level analysis showed that Personal Strength was most strongly associated with adaptability (r = .416), self-acceptance (r = .392), and acceptance of others (r = .389), whereas New Possibilities was associated with adaptability (r = .402), internal control (r = .351), and dominance (r = .338). The Spiritual Change domain demonstrated predominantly weak associations with the examined characteristics of personal adaptability.
Conclusions. The findings demonstrate predominantly weak to moderate associations between personal adaptability resources and posttraumatic growth, indicating that these phenomena are conceptually related but not equivalent. Adaptability, internality, self-acceptance, and acceptance of others showed the most consistent associations with positive posttraumatic changes, particularly with Personal Strength and the recognition of New Possibilities. At the same time, the relative autonomy of Spiritual Change suggests the potential contribution of broader existential and sociocultural factors. These findings may provide an empirical basis for further research into the resources underlying posttraumatic growth and for the development of non-directive models aimed at facilitating such growth within the person-centered approach.
Keywords: posttraumatic growth; person-centered approach; personal adaptability; self-acceptance; internality; acceptance of others; psychological trauma; psychological resources.
Article received: 05 April 2026
Article accepted for publication: 21 July 2026
Article published: 30 July 2026
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