Creating new resources: The impact of new group memberships on posttraumatic growth in China

The Social Identity Model of Traumatic Identity Change proposes the group membership gain hypothesis, which refers to developing positive new group memberships after trauma that may contribute to posttraumatic adjustment. However, only a few empirical studies conducted in Western societies have provided correlational evidence for the hypothesis. The current research conducted three studies to test the hypothesis in China. Study 1 (N = 315) through survey confirmed the positive association between new group memberships and posttraumatic growth among Chinese adults with traumatic experiences. Study 2 (N = 300) replicated the findings through the hypothetical scenario, discovering that participants expected a hypothetical person who experienced trauma and gained new group membership after this trauma would develop posttraumatic growth. Study 3 (N = 300), in a further refined hypothetical scenario (i.e., replacing the hypothetical vignette and protagonist in Study 2), yielded consistent results, demonstrating the impact of new group memberships on anticipated posttraumatic growth behavioral intention. The current research, for the first time in China, examined the group membership gain hypothesis and emphasized the importance of social group membership management in facilitating posttraumatic growth.