Health Psychology, Vol 43(11), Nov 2024, 813-821; doi:10.1037/hea0001399
Objective: Despite the recognized importance of posttraumatic growth (PTG) in the recovery process, the mechanisms that promote PTG in spinal cord injury (SCI) patients and their spouses, especially the roles of dyadic coping (DC) and resilience, have not been fully explored. This study aimed to assess the PTG of patients with SCI and their spouses and to investigate the interrelationships among DC, resilience, and PTG within the dyadic context. Method: A total of 154 SCI patient–spouse dyads were recruited from a rehabilitation hospital in China. All participants completed questionnaires about DC, resilience, and PTG. Our study was based on the actor–partner interdependence mediation model (APIMeM). Results: SCI patients and their spouses experienced comparable PTG level, M(patients) = 56.05 ± 14.09, M(spouses) = 54.74 ± 15.31. In the APIMeM, the patients’ and their spouses’ DC exerted actor effects on their own resilience, β(patients) = .418, p(spouses) = .409, p (patients) = .416, p(spouses) = .431, p