Is the PGIS-II redundant with the Hope Scale?: Evidence for the utility of the PGIS-II in predicting psychological adjustment in adults

Shorey et al. (2007) found that the Personal Growth Initiative Scale (PGIS; Robitschek, 1998) did not add to the prediction of psychological adjustment (e.g., optimism, psychological distress) when hope was controlled for. Recently, Robitschek et al. (2012) developed the Personal Growth Initiative Scale-II (PGIS-II) which is predicated on four distinct dimensions, namely readiness for change, planfulness, using resources, and intentional behaviors. To determine if the PGIS-II accounts for additional variance in psychological adjustment above hope, we conducted the present study to address this concern in a sample of 227 college students. Results from our analysis indicated that scores on the PGIS-II scales explained for, beyond hope, an additional 3-5% of variance in life satisfaction, optimism, depression, and anxiety. However, within the PGIS-II predictor set, planfulness was found to be the only unique and consistent predictor of psychological adjustment. Our findings suggest that within the broader construct of personal growth initiative, planfulness is not only a unique construct associated with psychological adjustment, but a construct that is distinct from hope.