What’s Behind the Great Resignation? Has the Pandemic Led to Post-traumatic Growth?

[Wake Up World]:Over the last year or so, many people have asked me if the COVID pandemic has brought about post-traumatic growth (PTG)—that is, the long-term positive effects (including a greater appreciation for life and enhanced relationships) that often arise following traumatic experiences. The pandemic has probably been the world’s most traumatic collective experience since the Second World War. 

Some groups were exposed to higher levels of trauma than others, such as medical professionals, the seriously ill, and those who lost loved ones to the virus. For the general population, the pandemic brought the trauma of social isolation, existential disruption, and general anxiety.

A number of recent studies do indicate that significant post-traumatic growth has occurred. For example, a 2021 study of 327 residents of Hong Kong found that 18 percent experienced PTG in relation to the first COVID outbreak. A 2022 international study of 181 people found a much higher figure of 61 percent.(Perhaps the discrepancy between the two figures is caused by the fact that PTG normally takes some time to emerge, and the second study is more recent. The first study was also carried out while the pandemic was still in an intense phase.) Other studies have focused on specific groups and found significant levels of pandemic-related PTG in nurses and other frontline medical personnel...<<<Read More>>>...