Attentional bias toward resilience-related words and its association with post-traumatic growth: evidence from Italian University students

Abstract This study replicates the presence of attentional bias toward resilience-related words in Italian university students. After being categorized into high and low post-traumatic growth (PTG) groups, participants completed an Emotional Stroop Task (EST), which allowed for the comparison of response latencies to different word categories (resilience-positive, resilience-negative, positive non-resilience, and negative non-resilience). Results revealed that individuals with high PTG exhibited significantly longer reaction times when exposed to resilience-related words, suggesting heightened attentional engagement with positive, resilience-related emotional content. Furthermore, a positive correlation emerged between attentional bias and the reward sensitivity subscale of the Behavioral Activation System (BAS), indicating that approach motivation may play a role in post-traumatic growth. These findings support the hypothesis that attentional bias toward resilience-related language may serve as a candidate cognitive indicator of psychological growth and adaptive functioning following adversity. Overall, this study contributes to the understanding of resilience from a cognitive perspective and highlights the potential of the Emotional Stroop paradigm as a tool for assessing resilience-related attentional processes across cultural contexts.