Post-traumatic Growth in Young Adults of Kashmir

Abstract

Region affected by prolonged conflict, such as Kashmir, where trauma is widespread, especially among young adults. This research investigates the interrelationship of basic beliefs with post-trauma growth (PTG) and mental well-being in the young adult population that has lived in a lingering socio-political conflict like Kashmir. The findings from the research insinuated that individuals could actually grow from PTG even with chronic adversity. A quantitative design was employed, using standardized psychological measures. Thus, challenging and reconstructing core beliefs following trauma was positively related to PTG development. Further, PTG was significantly positively related to mental well-being. Importantly, the results indicated that there were no significant differences between males and females developing PTG, wherein males and females are expected to display convergent development courses in the process of meaning-making and psychological adaptations following adversity. Whereas this study says that the development of PTG is deeply contingent on geographical location, wherein social norms, ecological, and socio-political conditions collectively support the system, critically conditioning an individual’s coping process, meaning-making, and psychological adaptations. The finding states that PTG is not merely a stand-alone phenomenon, but rather it is clusters of geographical, cultural, socioeconomical, and psychological contexts. Nevertheless, it creates an enormous critical methodological problem regarding the limitations of using Western-derived assessment tools in non-Western settings. Thus, the need for culturally sensitive measures to accurately assess PTG, core beliefs, and well-being in diverse populations is highlighted.