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Published on: June 13, 2021
The Contribution of Dispositional Gratitude and Different Stress Sources to Personal Growth Among Women Pregnant with
Meital Navon-Eyal1, Orit Taubman-Ben-Ari1
1The Louis and Gabi Weisfeld School of Social Work, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan 5290002, Israel.
While pregnancy and anticipation of the birth of the first child may be a stressful experience for women, it may also provide an opportunity for personal growth. The literature shows that stress is a prerequisite for growth. However, studies rarely distinguish between different sources of stress. This study therefore sought to increase the theoretical understanding of personal growth by examining the contribution of different stress sources (exposure to pregnancy-related stressors, experiencing pregnancy stress, stress associated with life events during pregnancy, COVID-19-related anxiety over possible economic damage, and COVID-19-related anxiety over the health of the fetus). In addition, drawing on the Broaden and Build Theory, the contribution of dispositional gratitude to personal growth was examined. The sample consisted of 1378 women expecting their first child, who were recruited through social media. Results show that dispositional gratitude has a significant contribution to personal growth (p < 0.001) and that all stress sources except for pregnancy stress, contributed significantly to personal growth (p < 0.05). The study expands the theoretical knowledge and lends support to the need for a theoretical and methodological distinction between different sources of stress.
While pregnancy and anticipation of the birth of the first child may be a stressful experience for women, it may also provide an opportunity for personal growth. The literature shows that stress is a prerequisite for growth. However, studies rarely distinguish between different sources of stress. This study therefore sought to increase the theoretical understanding of personal growth by examining the contribution of different stress sources (exposure to pregnancy-related stressors, experiencing pregnancy stress, stress associated with life events during pregnancy, COVID-19-related anxiety over possible economic damage, and COVID-19-related anxiety over the health of the fetus). In addition, drawing on the Broaden and Build Theory, the contribution of dispositional gratitude to personal growth was examined. The sample consisted of 1378 women expecting their first child, who were recruited through social media. Results show that dispositional gratitude has a significant contribution to personal growth (p < 0.001) and that all stress sources except for pregnancy stress, contributed significantly to personal growth (p < 0.05). The study expands the theoretical knowledge and lends support to the need for a theoretical and methodological distinction between different sources of stress.
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