Spirituality, gratitude, hope and post-traumatic growth among the survivors of the 2010 eruption of Mount Merapi in Java, Indonesia

Abstract

The province of Yogyakarta, located in the island of Java, is one of the areas in Indonesia which is vulnerable to natural disasters. This study focuses on Post Traumatic Growth (PTG) referring to the positive aspects of people's experience, specifically during the course of the Mount Merapi eruption disaster in 2010. Some literatures suggest that aside from affecting negative emotional experiences, traumatic experiences also provide personal growth, such as positive changes in behaviour, better relationships with others, a more positive outlook and a greater appreciation of life. The purpose of this study was to understand the role of spirituality, gratitude and hope in predicting PTG. The participants of this study were 60 survivors who were living in temporary houses. There were four instruments administered in the study: (1) Post Trauma Growth Scale, (2) Spirituality Scale, (3) Gratitude Scale, (4) Hope scale. Following the administration of these instruments individually, the participants were also interviewed for qualitative data collection. The results of the multiple regression analysis showed that spirituality was the only significant predictor of PTG (F = 11,671, p