Experiences of adversity can generate positive psychological effects alongside negative impacts. Little research to date has evaluated predictors of post-traumatic growth in mental or community healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Following a survey of 854 community and mental healthcare staff in the United Kingdom in July to September 2020, multiple linear regression was used to determine the association between hypothesised risk and protective factors (personal, organisational and environmental variables) and total scores on the Post-traumatic Growth Inventory–Short Version. Positive self-reflection activities, black and minority ethnic status, developing new healthcare knowledge and skills, connecting with friends and family, feeling supported by senior management, feeling supported by the UK people, and anxiety about the personal and work-related consequences of COVID-19 each significantly independently predicted greater post-traumatic growth. Working in a clinical role and in mental healthcare or community physical healthcare predicted lower post-traumatic growth. Our research supports the value of taking an organisational growth-focused approach to occupational health during times of adversity, by supporting staff to embrace opportunities for personal growth. Valuing staff’s cultural and religious identity and encouraging self-reflective activities, such as mindfulness and meditation, may help to promote post-traumatic growth.

The adversity-activated development reflection tool (AART) has been used therapeutically to capture personal growth arising during adversity. Our mixed-methods study used this tool to assess adversity-activated growth in 854 mental and community healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants used the tool to describe the positive and negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in different life domains (self, family, work, and community). Through an ideal-type analysis of 133 purposively subsampled AARTs, we derived three levels of adversity-activated development (AAD): none, minimal, and deep. Higher levels of AAD were associated with spending more time connecting with friends and family (OR = 1.83, 95% CI 1.23 to 2.75, p < 0.01) and skill development in mental health care (OR = 1.63, 95% CI 1.16 to 2.28, p < 0.01). Deep development was characterised by changes in life priorities, changes in coping, realising strengths and capabilities, and making stronger connections with others. The AART can usefully assess both positive and negative growth, enabling respondents to convey the complexities of their experiences in their own words, whilst allowing the levels of overall self-development to be distilled. Our findings reinforce the value of promoting social connectedness and skill development to facilitate employee growth during collective occupational stress.