Dynamic structure of posttraumatic growth among victims of the 2021 Henan floods: A 6‐month, three‐wave longitudinal study

Abstract Posttraumatic growth (PTG) following traumatic events is a dynamic and transformational process. However, its dynamic structure is currently unknown. The study aimed to estimate the dynamic structure of PTG at the nuance level based on PTG measurement items using network analysis. A three‐wave longitudinal study was conducted from July 20, 2021, to January 30, 2022, among the victims experiencing the 2021 Henan floods. The final sample ( n = 297) completed reports of PTG after 0, 3, and 6 months of the disaster. We employed the graphical vector autoregressive model approach to estimate extended network models. Contemporaneous network results revealed strong positive associations between domains of PTG in the same measurement window, especially between new possibilities and personal strength . Moreover, temporal network results—the internal interplays among PTG items across measurement windows—revealed that the domain of relating to others plays a central role in the dynamics of PTG. Although other domains predicted an increase in relating to others , relating to others inhibited the development of other domains, especially new possibilities and personal strength . Our study identifies the culture‐specific process of PTG and provides empirical evidence on the explanatory models of PTG and the Janus–Face model of PTG.