The Impact of Event and Optimism as the Predictors of Post-Traumatic Growth

Abstract

During the COVID pandemic, online education in universities in Turkey and many countries continued. During this period, it was curious how many preservice teachers were affected by the pandemic, which is considered a traumatic experience. This study aimed to examine the predictive effects of the COVID pandemic and optimism on post-traumatic growth in preservice teachers. The study group consisted of 801 preservice teachers studying at Ondokuz Mayis University who were reached through the convenience sampling method. Impact of Event Scale, The Posttraumatic Growth Inventory, and Optimism Scale were used as data collection tools. Pearson Moments Correlation analysis showed that post-traumatic growth was positively correlated with the impact of event and optimism, while optimism was negatively correlated with the impact of event. According to hierarchical regression analysis results, it was found that optimism and impact of event predicted post-traumatic growth significantly and explained 31% of post-traumatic growth. According to one-way MANOVA results, it was found that female preservice teachers were significantly more affected by the COVID pandemic when compared with male preservice teachers, and female preservice teachers had significantly higher post-traumatic growth levels than males. According to two-way MANOVA results, it was found that preservice teachers who received online psychological support during the COVID pandemic were more affected by the event, and they had lower optimism levels. It was also found that preservice teachers who turned to spirituality had lower impact of event levels and higher post-traumatic growth and optimism levels.