Background/Objective

This cross-sectional study was conducted to record post-traumatic stress (PTS) and post-traumatic growth (PTG) of the general population of Chinese, during the first wave of COVID-19 spread.

Method

An online survey was conducted in China during February and March, 2020 to record the Chinese population's PTS (using the Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist-Civilian Version, PCL-C) and PTG (using the Post-traumatic Growth Inventory, PTGI) due to COVID-19. Confirmatory Factor Analyses (CFAs) and a Two-Part Model (TPM) of regression analysis were conducted.

Results

In total, 29,118 Chinese completed the survey (54.2% were in their 20s, 68.0% were males, 60.3% had a college education). CFA results illustrated that bifactor models were better at describing the Chinese participants’ psychometric traits of PTS and PTG relative to the default models. Results of TPM suggested that female, low-educated, and middle-aged individuals were more vulnerable to PTS. Remarkably, mutual and positive correlations between PTS and PTG, though small in statistics, were observed through regression analyses.

Conclusions

The current results presented new best-fit structural models, potential predictors, and valuable baseline information on PTS and PTG of the Chinese population in the context of COVID-19.