Positivity and growth following stressful life events: Associations with psychosocial, health, and economic resources.

The present study assessed the extent to which psychosocial resources of dispositional optimism, sense of mastery, and social support, and personal resources of perceived health and economic status, are associated with positivity ratio (positive affect divided by negative affect) and with growth following stressful life events. We conducted a secondary analysis of the data of 355 participants who experienced a stressful life event 1–24 months before completing questionnaires assessing the study constructs. The results showed that the psychosocial resources (optimism, mastery, and social support), perceived health, and economic status were intercorrelated. The three psychosocial resources, but not perceived health or economic status, were associated with positivity ratio, and social support was associated with growth. Mastery and social support mediated the effects of perceived health on positivity ratio, and mastery mediated the effects of economic status on positivity ratio following stressful life events. The findings suggest that psychosocial resources lead to better adaptation by preserving positive mental states following stressful life events, and perceived health and economic status contribute to these positive mental states through their associations with the psychosocial resources.