Abstract
Studies of the relations among measures of growth and distress or wellbeing need to test more sophisticated models, including mediator and moderator models. For example, existing data suggest that measures of perceived growth may be more strongly related to outcomes for some people (e.g., racial minorities) than for others, and that the relation between perceived growth and outcomes may be curvilinear rather than linear. If these more complex relations are not taken into account, research relating growth and outcomes will continue to be inconsistent. Additional research also should examine mediators of the relation between PTG and other outcomes, in addition to examining mediators of the relations between personal and environmental resources and PTG as we did in our 2004 longitudinal study. At this point, we know little about why self-reported PTG is associated with less subsequent distress and better health. Stanton et al. found that writing about one's deepest thoughts and feelings and writing about positive feelings were equally effective in promoting health and well-being among cancer patients, although the mechanisms underlying the effectiveness of the two interventions differed. Moreover, Low et al. were unsuccessful in identifying the mediators of the health benefits of writing about positive thoughts and feelings. [Adapted from Text, pp. 177-178]