Assessing the Response Process Validity of the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory Using Cognitive Interviews

Post-traumatic growth (PTG) refers to perceived positive psychological changes following highly distressing or traumatic events. Although PTG has garnered significant attention from both researchers and the broader public, its assessment has largely depended on retrospective measures such as the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI). These measures presume that respondents engage in a complex psychological process (e.g., recalling pre- and post-trauma functioning) to accurately report veridical growth. However, the extent to which people follow this process has not been directly examined. In the present study, we assessed the PTGI's response process validity by conducting 21 cognitive interviews to determine whether participants engaged in the theoretically required steps using five items from the PTGI. None of the participants fully completed this process for every item. Instead, thematic analysis showed that they drew on themes related to preserving continuity in their life narratives, using reappraisal coping, and adhering to cultural scripts favoring positive transformation. In other words, participants reported positive change even when their narratives pointed to negative, neutral, or resilient experiences. These findings add to concerns about the PTGI's construct validity as a measure of genuine growth following adversity.