دانشگاه اصفهان پژوهش نامه روانشناسی مثبت 2476-4248 11 3 2025 11 22 The Role of Attachment Styles, Meaning in Life, and Rumination on Post-Traumatic Growth in Firefighters نقش سبک‌های دلبستگی، معنای زندگی و نشخوار فکری بر رشد پس از سانحۀ آتش‌نشانان 1 24 30471 10.22108/ppls.2026.142744.2570 FA فاطمه رضایی کارشناس ارشد مشاوره، گروه مشاوره دانشکده علوم انسانی، واحد تهران شمال، دانشگاه آزاد اسلامی، تهران، ایران زهراسادات پورسید اقایی استادیار، گروه مشاوره، دانشکدۀ علوم تربیتی و روانشناسی، دانشگاه الزهرا، تهران، ایران Journal Article 2024 09 11 The present study was conducted with the aim of investigating the role of attachment styles, meaning in life, and rumination in predicting post-traumatic growth among firefighters. The research method was descriptive-correlational using structural equation modeling. The sample consisted of 200 firefighters from three operational districts of the Tehran Municipality Fire Department, including Operational District One, Operational District Three, and Operational District Six, who were selected through multi-stage random sampling according to inclusion criteria. The study employed questionnaires for organizational trauma, post-traumatic growth, attachment styles, meaning in life, and rumination. Data analysis was performed using Pearson correlation and structural equation modeling. The findings indicated that secure attachment style has a positive and significant effect on post-traumatic growth, while avoidant and ambivalent attachment styles do not have a significant effect on it. Furthermore, meaning in life has a positive and significant relationship with post-traumatic growth, but the effect of rumination on post-traumatic growth, although positive in coefficient, is not statistically significant. Additionally, the final research model concerning the structural relationship of post-traumatic growth based on attachment styles, meaning in life, and rumination among firefighters demonstrates satisfactory fit. Based on the results of this study, it can be concluded that post-traumatic growth is influenced by attachment styles, meaning in life, and rumination, and these findings can be used to enhance post-traumatic growth among firefighters. Introduction* Due to frequent exposure to traumatic events and stressful working conditions, firefighters are at high risk of developing mental disorders. However, some of them show positive psychological changes called post-traumatic growth (PTG) after experiencing these events. Post-traumatic growth refers to the positive reconstruction of beliefs, enhancement of personal strength, and improvement of interpersonal relationships following trauma. Previous research has shown that attachment styles (especially secure attachment) and meaning in life can be important predictors of PTG. Furthermore, rumination as a cognitive process can influence the path of post-traumatic growth or disorder. Despite the importance of these variables, limited studies have been conducted among firefighters. Therefore, the main aim of the present study was to investigate the structural model of post-traumatic growth based on attachment styles, meaning in life, and rumination among firefighters. Method The present study was applied in terms of purpose and descriptive-correlational in terms of method using structural equation modeling. The statistical population included all firefighters working in three operational districts of the Tehran Municipality Fire Department (Districts One, Three, and Six) in 2025. Using multi-stage random sampling based on inclusion criteria (informed consent and obtaining a high score on the Organizational Trauma Questionnaire), 200 individuals were selected as the final sample (102 with a bachelor's degree, 75 with a master's degree or higher, 163 married). Research instruments included the Organizational Trauma Questionnaire, Post-Traumatic Growth Inventory, Attachment Styles Questionnaire, Meaning in Life Questionnaire, and Rumination Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficient and structural equation modeling with SPSS 26 and AMOS 24 software. Prior to the main analysis, the assumptions of univariate and multivariate normality, absence of outliers, and lack of multicollinearity were examined and confirmed. Results Prior to testing the hypotheses, the statistical assumptions of structural equation modeling were examined. Assessment of skewness (range: -0.76 to 2.73) and kurtosis (range: -0.75 to 11.02) indicated that the data had univariate normal distribution. Mardia's standardized kurtosis coefficient was 4.621 and the critical ratio was 2.598. Both of the indices were less than 5, confirming the assumption of multivariate normality. Examination of Mahalanobis distance revealed the presence of three multivariate outliers, which were removed from the final analysis. Furthermore, the tolerance index (Tolerance > 0.1) and variance inflation factor (VIF < 5) indicated the absence of multicollinearity among the research variables. The results of the Pearson correlation matrix are presented in Table 1. As can be observed, post-traumatic growth has a positive and significant relationship with secure attachment style and meaning in life. In other words, an increase in secure attachment style and meaning in life is associated with an increase in post-traumatic growth among firefighters. Moreover, post-traumatic growth showed a negative and significant relationship with rumination. Among insecure attachment styles, both avoidant and ambivalent attachment styles also had a positive and significant relationship with post-traumatic growth. Table 1 Correlation Matrix Between Research Variables Variable 1-Secure attachment style 1 2-Avoidant attachment style 0.268** 1 3-Ambivalent attachment style 0.444** 0.666** 1 4- Rumination -0.483** -0.060 -0.070 1 5- Meaning in life 0.193** 0.130 0.405** -0.120 1 6-Post-traumatic growth 0.563** 0.387** 0.402** -0.279** 0.344** **. *p* < 0.01 (two-tailed) To evaluate the fit of the proposed structural model, various fit indices were used. The results presented in Table 2 indicate that the final research model has a satisfactory fit. The relative chi-square value (CMIN/DF) was 2.20, which is less than 3, indicating a good model fit. The comparative fit indices, including CFI (0.978), IFI (0.978), and GFI (0.964), were all greater than 0.9, suggesting a very good model fit. Furthermore, the RMSEA value was 0.069 (with a 90% confidence interval: 0.05 to 0.07), which is less than 0.08, indicating an acceptable model fit. The PNFI (0.619) and PCFI (0.629) indices were also greater than 0.5, indicating a good model fit in terms of parsimony. Table 2 Appropriateness Indices of the Proposed Research Model Fit Index χ² df P-value CMIN/df RMSEA (90% CI) PNFI CFI PCFI IFI GFI Modified value 130.155 59 <0.001 2.20 0.069 (0.05-0.07) 0.619 0.978 0.629 0.978 0.964 *Acceptable index values: PNFI, PCFI > 0.5; CFI, GFI, IFI > 0.9; RMSEA < 0.08; CMIN/DF < 3 (good), < 5 (acceptable) (Kline, 2023)* After confirming the model fit, the standardized coefficients of the direct paths were examined. The results are presented in Table 3. Table 3 Standardized Coefficients of the Proposed Research Model Path Standardized Coefficient (β) Standard Error Critical Ratio P-value Secure attachment style → Post-traumatic growth 0.414 0.038 3.604 <0.001 Avoidant attachment style → Post-traumatic growth -0.199 0.009 -1.795 0.073 Ambivalent attachment style → Post-traumatic growth -0.069 0.007 -0.800 0.424 Meaning in life → Post-traumatic growth 0.278 0.023 3.138 0.002 Rumination → Post-traumatic growth 0.076 0.017 0.820 0.401 Based on the results presented in Table 3, secure attachment style had a positive and significant effect on post-traumatic growth (β = 0.414, p < 0.001), while avoidant (β = -0.199, p = 0.073) and ambivalent (β = -0.069, p = 0.424) attachment styles did not show a significant effect on growth. Furthermore, meaning in life had a positive and significant relationship with post-traumatic growth (β = 0.278, p = 0.002), but the effect of rumination on growth, although positive in coefficient, was not statistically significant (β = 0.076, p = 0.401). These results indicate that secure attachment style and meaning in life are effective factors in promoting post-traumatic growth among firefighters. Conclusion Based on the findings of this study, secure attachment style and meaning in life are two main and effective factors in predicting post-traumatic growth among firefighters. These results are consistent with the findings of previous studies (e.g., Han et al., 2023; Zafartaleb & Taklavi, 2023). Firefighters with secure attachment, due to having an internal secure base and adaptive coping strategies, have a greater ability to transform traumatic experiences into growth opportunities. Furthermore, the presence of meaning in life helps them to redefine the suffering caused by occupational incidents and achieve positive cognitive reconstruction. The non-significance of rumination in the final model may be due to the complex nature of this construct or the moderating role of other variables. Limitations of the study include the cross-sectional design and the impossibility of causal inference, the sole reliance on self-report measures, and the sample being limited to male firefighters. It is suggested that future longitudinal studies be conducted with more diverse samples in terms of gender and using multiple assessment methods. Ethical Considerations Compliance with Ethical Guidelines This study was approved by the Islamic Azad University Research Ethics Committee (ethics code: IR.IAU.TNB.REC.1403.051). All ethical principles including informed written consent, confidentiality, anonymity of responses, and the right to withdraw were observed. Authors' Contributions First author: Study design, data collection, statistical analysis, drafting and writing of the manuscript. Corresponding author (Second author): Supervision, conceptualization, methodology development, critical revision of the manuscript, editing and addressing reviewers' comments, final approval for submission, and handling of the peer review process. Conflict of Interest The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest regarding the publication of this paper. Funding This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. Acknowledgment The authors thank all firefighters who participated in this study, as well as the officials of the Tehran Fire Department for their cooperation. *. Corresponding author پژوهش حاضر با هدف بررسی نقش سبک‌های دلبستگی، معنای زندگی و نشخوار فکری در پیش‌بینی رشد پس از سانحه در میان آتش‌نشانان انجام شد. روش پژوهش توصیفی-همبستگی با استفاده از معادلات ساختاری بود. نمونۀ پژوهش شامل 200 نفر از آتشنشانان در سه منطقۀ عملیاتی آتشنشانی شهرداری تهران شامل منطقۀ یک عملیاتی، منطقۀ سه عملیاتی و منطقۀ شش عملیاتی بود که به صورت تصادفی چندمرحلهای و با توجه به ملاکهای ورود انتخاب شدند. در این پژوهش از پرسشنامه‌های ترومای سازمانی، رشد پس از سانحه، سبکهای دلبستگی، معنای زندگی و نشخوار فکری استفاده شد. تحلیل آماری دادهها با استفاده از همبستگی پیرسون و مدلیابی معادلات ساختاری انجام شد. یافتههای پژوهش نشان داد سبک دلبستگی ایمن تأثیری مثبت و معنادار بر رشد پس از سانحه دارد، در حالی‌ که سبک‌های دلبستگی اجتنابی و دوسوگرا تأثیری معنادار بر رشد پس از سانحه ندارند. همچنین، معنای زندگی با رشد پس از سانحه رابطه‌ای مثبت و معنادار دارد، اما اثر نشخوار فکری بر رشد پس از سانحه، با وجود مثبت‌بودن ضریب، از نظر آماری معنادار نیست. افزون بر این، مدل نهایی پژوهش مبنی بر رابطۀ ساختاری رشد پس از سانحه بر اساس سبکهای دلبستگی، معنای زندگی و نشخوار فکری در میان آتش‌نشانان از برازش مطلوب برخوردار است. بر اساس نتایج این پژوهش، میتوان نتیجه گرفت رشد پس از سانحه متأثر از سبکهای دلبستگی، معنای زندگی و نشخوار فکری است و از این یافتهها میتوان در راستای بالابردن رشد پس از سانحۀ آتشنشانان استفاده کرد.

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