Abstract

This study was conducted to identify the pathways leading to post-traumatic growth in post-traumatic stress-suffering high-risk university students. A research model that supplemented the model developed by Calhoun and Tedeschi (2006) was used in this study. The participants were 357 university students who had a traumatic experience. Stress-growth model verification showed that the paths from invasive rumination to intentional rumination to post-traumatic growth; from invasive rumination to an emotional approach coping to post-traumatic growth; and from invasive rumination to an emotional approach coping to intentional rumination to post-traumatic growth were significant. These results indicate that post-traumatic stress is the driving force for post-traumatic growth, past psychological pain drives present growth, and present psychological pain can drive future growth. Collectively, today’s university no longer think of stress as a negative concept, but rather, it is expected to be conceptualized and understood as a driving force that promotes growth.