Introduction: Divorce is considered one of the most stressful life events and is associated with extensive psychological and social consequences, particularly for men. Therefore, the present study aimed to model posttraumatic growth based on perceived social support with the mediating role of emotional expression in men with divorce experience.
Methods: The present study was descriptive-correlational in design. The statistical population consisted of men with divorce experience living in Babol city in 2025, from whom 242 participants were selected using purposive sampling. Data were collected using the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (Tedeschi & Calhoun, 1996), the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (Zimet et al., 1988), and the Emotional Expressiveness Questionnaire (King & Emmons, 1990). Data analysis was conducted using Pearson correlation coefficients and path analysis through statistical software.
Results: The results indicated that perceived social support had a significant positive effect on emotional expression (β = 0.38, P < 0.01). Emotional expression positively predicted posttraumatic growth (β = 0.18, P < 0.01), and perceived social support also had a significant direct positive effect on posttraumatic growth (β = 0.57, P < 0.01).
Conclusion: The findings of the path analysis demonstrated that emotional expression plays a significant mediating role in the relationship between perceived social support and posttraumatic growth, and the proposed model showed an acceptable fit. These findings highlight the importance of social support and emotional expression in the process of psychological adjustment and the promotion of posttraumatic growth in men with divorce experience.