Post-Traumatic Growth and Cultural Identity Reconstruction in Immigrant Adults

Abstract

Immigrant adults are likely to be exposed to complex stressors associated with trauma, acculturative challenges, and social marginalization, which disrupt their psychological and emotional well-being. While earlier research has focused on predisposing factors, studies emerging in the still-developing field of positive psychology suggest that post-traumatic growth (PTG) may be an outcome of adversity. At the same time, cultural-identity reconstruction enables immigrants to merge their heritage and allows cultural identities to develop resilience and adaptive functioning. This review aims to synthesize interdisciplinary research on PTG and cultural-identity reconstruction among immigrants, focusing on mechanisms of meaning-making, social support, spirituality, and bicultural integration. Implications for culturally responsive counseling practices will also be explored, as will future research directions.