Positive affect and the experience of meaning in life

Bidirectional associations between meaning in life and the health, emotional ill-being and daily life functioning outcomes among older adults

OBJECTIVE

Meaning and purpose in life are recognised health determinants. Evidence on the factors contributing to the experience of meaning and purpose in life is limited. The bidirectional associations between the experience of meaning in life and physical health, emotional ill-being and daily life functioning from a 6-year perspective are examined.

METHODS AND MEASURES

Longitudinal data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) were analysed using generalised estimating equations. The sample included 16,361 middle-aged and older adults from 13 countries.

RESULTS

Living a meaningful life was found to be associated with subsequent reduced risks of depression, loneliness, limitations in activities of daily living, and heart attack (at the 6-year follow-up). It was also found that prior experience of depression, loneliness and limited activities of daily living were associated with subsequent reduced sense of meaningful life. These associations were independent of demographics, socioeconomic status, personality, prior history of diseases and lifestyle. The sensitivity analyses provided evidence for the robustness of these associations.

CONCLUSIONS

Evidence for health practitioners and policymakers on factors that may hamper the development and maintenance of meaningful life as well as on the role of sense of meaning in life for healthy aging was presented.

Savoring Belief, Resilience, and Meaning in Life as Pathways to Happiness: A Sequential Mediation Analysis among Taiwanese University Students

In recent decades, scholarly interest has grown in the psychological components of happiness. Savoring belief, or the capacity to attend to, appreciate, and enhance the positive experiences in one's life, along with resilience and meaning in life, have emerged as significant predictors of enhanced happiness among diverse populations. This research examined the interrelationships among savoring belief, resilience, meaning in life, and happiness. A sample of 561 students from 75 universities in Taiwan, comprising 361 female and 200 male participants with an average age of 20.88 years, participated in an online survey. The study employed various instruments, including the Savoring Belief Inventory, the Subjective Happiness Scale, the Brief Resilience Scale, and the Meaning in Life Questionnaire. These instruments were translated into Traditional Chinese using a back-translation method and subsequently validated for accuracy by specialists in the field. Analysis of the data using Hayes' PROCESS Model 6 revealed several key insights: (1) savoring belief positively influenced happiness, resilience, and meaning in life with resilience further enhancing happiness and meaning in life; (2) resilience served as a significant mediator in the relationship between savoring belief and happiness; (3) meaning in life significantly mediated the relationship between savoring belief and happiness; (4) a sequential mediation model illustrated the mediating effects of resilience and meaning in life on the relationship between savoring belief and happiness. This study illustrates that, much like a garden requires water, sunlight, and care to flourish, our happiness is cultivated through enhancing our ability to savor the good moments, rebound from challenges, and find deep significance in our lives. We can significantly boost well-being by fostering these qualities-savoring belief, resilience, and a sense of meaning. These findings are particularly relevant for educators, highlighting the critical need to develop these traits in students to promote greater happiness and fulfillment in their lives. Discussions included theoretical implications, educational implications, and avenues for future research.

Perceiving a Stable Self-Concept Enables the Experience of Meaning in Life

We test the hypothesis that the perception of stability in one's self-concept (i.e., future self-continuity) enables the experience of meaning in life because perceiving a stable sense of self confers a sense of certainty to the self-concept. Study 1 provided initial evidence of the influence of future self-continuity on feelings of meaning in life (MIL) in a nationally representative sample. In Studies 2a and 2b, we manipulated future self-continuity by varying the expectedness of one's future self, demonstrating the causal influence of future self-continuity on self-certainty and feelings of MIL. Study 3 again manipulated future self-continuity, finding an indirect effect on feelings of meaning in life via self-certainty. Our findings thus suggest the experience of meaning in life arises from the perception of a stable sense of self. We discuss the implications for the antecedents and conceptualization of MIL as well as the nature of the self-concept.

Invalidating environment and meaning in life: The Chain Mediating Effects of regulatory emotional self-efficacy and basic psychological needs satisfaction

BACKGROUND

Although people strive for meaning in life, life is full of experiences that challenge meaning. According to Bowen's family systems theory, the family is both a relational and an emotional system in which family members influence and are influenced by each other. Invalidating environment, reflecting a deficient family emotional setting, may be a key influencing factor in diminishing meaning in life. Existing studies have not directly explored the effects of the invalidating environment on meaning in life and its underlying mechanism.

OBJECTIVE

Guided by Bowen's family systems theory, this study aims to explore the relationship between invalidating environment and meaning in life, as well as the mediating effects of regulatory emotional self-efficacy and the satisfaction of basic psychological needs.

METHODS

A sample of 555 university students (62.5 % female, 37.5 % male; Mage =19.13 years old, SD = 1.72) completed questionnaires regarding demographics, invalidating environment, meaning in life, regulatory emotional self-efficacy, and basic psychological needs satisfaction.

RESULTS

Results revealed that: (a) invalidating environment negatively predicts meaning in life; (b) regulatory emotional self-efficacy and basic psychological needs satisfaction serve as both independent and chain mediators between invalidating environment and meaning in life.

CONCLUSION

Invalidating environment affects meaning in life through regulatory emotional self-efficacy and basic psychological needs satisfaction. This finding has significant theoretical implications and provides a feasible pathway to improve children's meaning in life at both the parent and child levels.

Impact of Moral Elevation on College Students' Sense of Meaning of Life: The Mediating Roles of Gratitude and Perceived Social Support

Purpose

The current study examined the association between moral elevation and college students' sense of meaning of life, along with the potential mediating effects of gratitude and perceived social support on this relationship.

Methods

Using the convenience sampling method, the Moral Elevation Scale, the Sense of Meaning of Life Questionnaire, the Gratitude Questionnaire, and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support were used to conduct questionnaire surveys on 1088 college students (Mage=19.59 years, SD=1.46). SPSS25.0 data statistics software was used to analyze the data, and the PROCESS macro for SPSS was used to conduct the mediation effect test.

Results

(1) Moral elevation was significantly and positively associated with college students' sense of meaning of life (β = 0.43,p < 0.001). (2) Both gratitude and perceived social support partially mediated the relation between moral elevation and sense of meaning of life. The indirect effect of moral elevation on sense of meaning of life via gratitude was 0.11 (95% CI = [0.0709, 0.1453]), and the mediating effect accounted for 52.71%. The indirect effect of moral elevation on sense of meaning of life via perceived social support was 0.06 (95% CI = [0.0385, 0.0863]), and the mediating effect accounted for 29.41%. (3) Gratitude and perceived social support sequentially mediated the association between moral elevation and sense of meaning of life, the indirect effect through gratitude and perceived social support was 0.04 (95% CI = [0.0237, 0.0512]) and accounted for 17.88%.

Conclusion

This study revealed the chain mediating roles of gratitude and perceived social support in the relation between moral elevation and sense of meaning of life for Chinese college students, which is of great theoretical and practical significance for the formation of a positive sense of meaning of life and the cultivation of moral elevation among college students.

A virtuous cycle between meaning in daily life and state mindfulness as well as the unique role of depression among young adults: A diary study

The positive association between meaning in life (MIL) and mindfulness has been supported; however, previous research has been limited to the trait level. To explore the dynamics of mindfulness and MIL in the state level, the present study used the experience sampling method (ESM) and conducted a dynamic structural equation model (DSEM). In addition, we examined the moderation of baseline depression in this dynamic relationship and the protective role of the dynamics on depression. We recruited 184 college students (Mage  = 21.58, 33.15% male), who reported three times a day for 14 consecutive days, and analyzed the 7726 collected responses. Firstly, a virtuous cycle between mindfulness and MIL was proven. Besides, the baseline depressive symptoms moderated the predictive of mindfulness on MIL, suggesting state mindfulness gave people with more depressive symptoms more meaningful in daily life. Lastly, the result also demonstrated the positive prediction of mindfulness on MIL and alleviated the worsening of depressive symptoms within 2 weeks. The findings extended the relationship between MIL and mindfulness from trait level to state level, enriching the self-determination theory, and examined the unique effect of depressive symptoms in the dynamics.

Factors contributing to subjective well-being and supporting successful aging among rural Japanese community-dwelling older adults: A cross-sectional and longitudinal study

AIM

We aimed to identify the factors contributing to subjective well-being in community-dwelling older adults in rural Japan. This study explored the relationship among physical and mental health, socioeconomic status, and activity levels with regard to the subjective well-being of older adults.

METHODS

In the Frail Elderly in the Sasayama-Tamba Area study, a cohort investigation of independent older adults in a rural Japanese community, 541 of 844 participants completed a 2-year follow-up survey. Subjective well-being was assessed as a binary based on three factors - "happiness," "satisfaction with life" and "meaning in life" - using a subset of the World Health Organization's Quality of Life questionnaire. The improvement group transitioned from not having subjective well-being during the baseline survey to having subjective well-being during the follow-up survey. Furthermore, we used multivariable log-Poisson regression models to calculate the prevalence ratios of subjective well-being.

RESULTS

The cross-sectional study showed that sleep satisfaction, health services access satisfaction and having a higher-level functional capacity were positively associated with having "happiness" and "satisfaction with life." Furthermore, being aged ≥ 80 years and having financial leeway were positively associated with having "meaning in life." The longitudinal study showed that having a higher-level functional capacity was positively associated with improving "happiness" and "satisfaction with life." Being female was positively associated with improving "happiness" and "meaning in life," and health services access satisfaction and alcohol drinking were positively associated with improving "satisfaction with life" and "meaning in life," respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings offer promising avenues for enhancing the subjective well-being of older adults. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2024; 24: 311-319.

Meaning matters: linking proactive vitality management to subjective well-being

Prior research has indicated that positive affect, energy, and vitality are positively related to subjective well-being. Unfortunately, most scholars have overlooked the possibility that individuals may proactively manage their energetic, affective, and cognitive resources to boost their subjective well-being. Grounded in social cognitive theory, the current research focuses on explaining why students' proactive vitality management (PVM) leads to positive outcomes (i.e., meaning in life, subjective well-being) and considers how school support climate moderates these effects. One experimental study (Study 1) and a three-wave lagged survey (Study 2) were conducted to examine the benefits of PVM. The results demonstrated that PVM was positively related to students' meaning in life, further promoting their subjective well-being. Moreover, school support climate accentuated PVM's effect on meaning in life and its indirect effect on subjective well-being via meaning in life. Implications for research and practice are also discussed, along with study limitations and future research directions.

Relationships Between Meaning in Life and Positive and Negative Spirituality in a Field Setting in Japan

This study examined the relationships between positive/negative spirituality and meaning in life at two religious sites in Japan. Participants reported greater sadness and less meaning in life at Koyasan Okunoin, a temple with graves surrounded by nature, than at Nachi Kumano Taisha, a shrine with a waterfall. However, greater feelings of happiness protected meaning in life in the presence of sadness at Koyasan. Additionally, participants who felt a sense of awe reported greater meaning in life through self-liberation, regardless of the sites. The results provide new insights into meaning in life from the two sides of spirituality.

The ABC of happiness: Validation of the tridimensional model of subjective well-being (affect, cognition, and behavior) using Bifactor Polytomous Multidimensional Item Response Theory

Background

Happiness is often conceptualized as subjective well-being, which comprises people's evaluations of emotional experiences (i.e., the affective dimension: positive and negative feelings and emotions) and judgements of a self-imposed ideal (i.e., the cognitive dimension: life satisfaction). Recent research has established these two dimensions as primary parts of a higher order factor. However, theoretical, conceptual, and empirical work suggest that people's evaluations of harmony in their life (i.e., the sense of balance and capacity to behave and adapt with both acceptance and flexibility to inter- and intrapersonal circumstances) constitutes a third dimension (i.e., the behavioral dimension). This tridemensional conceptualization of subjective well-being has recently been verified using Unidimensional Item Response Theory (UIRT) and Classical Test Theory (CTT). Here, we use a recently developed and more robust approach that combines these two methods (i.e., Multidimensional Item Response Theory, MIRT) to simultaneously address the complex interactions and multidimensionality behind how people feel, think, and behave in relation to happiness in their life.

Method

A total of 435 participants (197 males and 238 females) with an age mean of 44.84 (sd = 13.36) responded to the Positive Affect Negative Affect Schedule (10 positive affect items, 10 negative affect items), the Satisfaction with Life Scale (five items), and the Harmony in life Scale (five items). We used Bifactor-Graded Response MIRT for the main analyses.

Result

At the general level, each of the 30 items had a strong capacity to discriminate between respondents across all three dimensions of subjective well-being. The investigation of different parameters (e.g., marginal slopes, ECV, IECV) strongly reflected the multidimensionality of subjective well-being at the item, the scale, and the model level. Indeed, subjective well-being could explain 64 % of the common variance in the whole model. Moreover, most of the items measuring positive affect (8/10) and life satisfaction (4/5) and all the items measuring harmony in life (5/5) accounted for a larger amount of variance of subjective well-being compared to that of their respective individual dimensions. The negative affect items, however, measured its own individual concept to a lager extent rather than subjective well-being. Thus, suggesting that the experience of negative affect is a more independent dimension within the whole subjective well-being model. We also found that specific items (e.g., "Alert", "Distressed", "Irritable", "I am satisfied with my life") were the recurrent exceptions in our results. Last but not the least, experiencing high levels in one dimension seems to compensate for low levels in the others and vice versa.

Conclusion

As expected, the three subjective well-being dimensions do not work separately. Interestingly, the order and magnitude of the effect by each dimension on subjective well-being mirror how people define happiness in their life: first as harmony, second as satisfaction, third as positive emotions, and fourth, albeit to a much lesser degree, as negative emotions. Ergo, we argue that subjective well-being functions as a complex biopsychosocial adaptive system mirroring our attitude towards life in these three dimensions (A: affective dimension; B: behavioral dimension; C: cognitive dimension). Ergo, researchers and practitioners need to take in to account all three to fully understand, measure, and promote people's experience of the happy life. Moreover, our results also suggest that negative affect, especially regarding high activation unpleasant emotions, need considerable changes and further analyses if it is going to be included as a construct within the affective dimension of a general subjective well-being factor.

Religious meaning system and life satisfaction: the mediating role of meaning in life among Polish people with multiple sclerosis

Introduction

The complexity of the associations between religiosity and indicators of well-being suggests the presence of a mediating mechanism. Previous studies indicate that religion may influence subjective well-being because it helps to find meaning and purpose. Therefore, the aim of our study was to examine the mediating role of the presence and search dimensions of meaning in life in the relationship between religious meaning system and life satisfaction in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS).

Methods

This cross-sectional study included 600 MS patients recruited from Poland who completed the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), the Religious Meaning System Questionnaire (RMS) and the Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ). Model 6 of Hayes PROCESS was used to test the hypotheses.

Results

The results of our research indicate that there was a significant indirect effect of religious meaning system on life satisfaction through the presence of meaning in life. The specific indirect effect of religious meaning system on life satisfaction through searching for meaning in life was not significant.

Discussion

The results of our study are relevant because they show that religion as a meaning system is positively related to the presence of meaning in life, which in turn positively predicts life satisfaction. This is particularly important in the case of incurable illness, where finding meaning in life is one of the natural stages of adaptation. By incorporating these findings into mental health practice, professionals can enhance the holistic well-being of people coping with MS and contribute to a more comprehensive and effective approach to mental health care.

Exploring friendship quality and the practice of savoring in relation to the wellbeing of Greek adults

Previous research findings demonstrate that both savoring ability and the presence of high-quality friendships play a significant role in enhancing one's overall sense of wellbeing. However, these associations have not been thoroughly investigated within a diverse range of adults across their lifespans, nor have they been explored in the specific cultural context of Greece. Thus, the primary objective of this study was to delve into the relationships between close friendship quality, the utilization of savoring techniques, and wellbeing within the Greek cultural framework. The study involved 771 adults from Greece with an average age of 38.35 years, who completed the McGill Friendship Functions Questionnaire, the PERMA Profiler, and the Abridged Ways of Savoring Checklist. Results revealed that there exists a positive correlation between friendship quality and savoring strategies with overall wellbeing. Moreover, the study identified a significant association wherein a greater employment of savoring strategies was linked to higher levels of friendship quality. While this study contributes valuable insights, it also has limitations that warrant acknowledgment. Furthermore, suggestions for potential future research directions are proposed, and the implications of these findings are discussed in relation to interventions aimed at enhancing both friendships and the practice of savoring across various contexts.

Functional integration of anterior insula related to meaning in life and loneliness

BACKGROUND

Meaning in life (MIL), defined as people's feelings of life's meaningfulness, plays a vital role in buffering loneliness - an important indicator of depression and other psychological disorders. Considerable evidence shows that MIL arises from widely distributed brain activity; however, how such activity is functionally integrated and how it influences loneliness is still understudied.

METHODS

We here examined how the functional integration of brain regions is related to individual MIL based on resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data from the Human Connectome Project (N = 970).

RESULTS

We found that the global brain connectivity (GBC) of the right anterior insula (rAI) can significantly predict individual MIL. Moreover, mediation analyses were conducted to investigate how the brain influences loneliness with MIL's mediation, which revealed that MIL fully mediates the effect of this hub on loneliness.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that the rAI is a key hub for MIL and loneliness. Its functional integration can be used as a biomarker to predict individual MIL and loneliness.

Disease-preventive behaviors and subjective well-being in the COVID-19 pandemic

BACKGROUND

Safety precautions and activity restrictions were common in the early, pre-vaccine phases of the COVID-19 pandemic. We hypothesized that higher levels of participation in potentially risky social and other activities would be associated with greater life satisfaction and perceived meaning in life. At the same time, prosocial COVID-preventive activities such as mask wearing should enhance life satisfaction.

METHOD

We assessed the impact of COVID-preventive behaviors on psychological well-being in October 2020. A nationally representative sample of U.S. adults (n = 831) completed a demographic questionnaire, a COVID-related behaviors questionnaire, a Cantril's Ladder item, and the Multidimensional Existential Meaning Scale. Two hierarchical linear models were used to examine the potential impact of COVID-preventive behaviors on life satisfaction and meaning in life while accounting for the influence of demographic factors.

RESULTS

The study revealed significant positive relationships between COVID-preventive behaviors and subjective well-being. Wearing a mask was significantly associated with higher life satisfaction, while maintaining social distancing of six feet and avoiding large groups were significantly associated with higher perceived meaning in life. Social activities including dining at restaurants and visiting friends and family were also significantly associated with higher life satisfaction and meaning in life, respectively.

CONCLUSION

The study's findings support the conclusion that disease prevention measures such as social distancing and mask wearing do not reduce, and may enhance, subjective well-being during a pandemic. Utilizing the unique context of the COVID-19 pandemic to examine relationships between behavior and subjective well-being, the study also indicates that shallow or medium-depth social activities are likely to be more central to life satisfaction, whereas narrower, deeper social interactions with friends and family are more important to perceived meaning in life.

The Use of Mobile Assessments for Monitoring Mental Health in Youth: Umbrella Review

BACKGROUND

Improving mental health in youth is a major concern. Future approaches to monitor and intervene in youth mental health problems should rely on mobile tools that allow for the daily monitoring of mental health both actively (eg, using ecological momentary assessments [EMAs]) and passively (eg, digital phenotyping) by capturing individuals' data.

OBJECTIVE

This umbrella review aims to (1) report the main characteristics of existing reviews on mental health and young people, including mobile approaches to mental health; (2) describe EMAs and trace data and the mental health conditions investigated; (3) report the main results; and (4) outline promises, limitations, and directions for future research.

METHODS

A systematic literature search was carried out in 9 scientific databases (Communication & Mass Media Complete, Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection, PsycINFO, CINAHL, ERIC, MEDLINE, the ProQuest Sociology Database, Web of Science, and PubMed) on January 30, 2022, coupled with a hand search and updated in July 2022. We included (systematic) reviews of EMAs and trace data in the context of mental health, with a specific focus on young populations, including children, adolescents, and young adults. The quality of the included reviews was evaluated using the AMSTAR (Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews) checklist.

RESULTS

After the screening process, 30 reviews (published between 2016 and 2022) were included in this umbrella review, of which 21 (70%) were systematic reviews and 9 (30%) were narrative reviews. The included systematic reviews focused on symptoms of depression (5/21, 24%); bipolar disorders, schizophrenia, or psychosis (6/21, 29%); general ill-being (5/21, 24%); cognitive abilities (2/21, 9.5%); well-being (1/21, 5%); personality (1/21, 5%); and suicidal thoughts (1/21, 5%). Of the 21 systematic reviews, 15 (71%) summarized studies that used mobile apps for tracing, 2 (10%) summarized studies that used them for intervention, and 4 (19%) summarized studies that used them for both intervention and tracing. Mobile tools used in the systematic reviews were smartphones only (8/21, 38%), smartphones and wearable devices (6/21, 29%), and smartphones with other tools (7/21, 33%). In total, 29% (6/21) of the systematic reviews focused on EMAs, including ecological momentary interventions; 33% (7/21) focused on trace data; and 38% (8/21) focused on both. Narrative reviews mainly focused on the discussion of issues related to digital phenotyping, existing theoretical frameworks used, new opportunities, and practical examples.

CONCLUSIONS

EMAs and trace data in the context of mental health assessments and interventions are promising tools. Opportunities (eg, using mobile approaches in low- and middle-income countries, integration of multimodal data, and improving self-efficacy and self-awareness on mental health) and limitations (eg, absence of theoretical frameworks, difficulty in assessing the reliability and effectiveness of such approaches, and need to appropriately assess the quality of the studies) were further discussed.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

PROSPERO CRD42022347717; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=347717.

Gender differences in the relationships between meaning in life, mental health status and digital media use during Covid-19

BACKGROUND

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on individuals' social lives, mental health status, and meaning in life (MIL). Globally, the use of different types of digital media has become a proxy for pre-COVID social lives for many people. This study investigated gender differences in the relationship between use of digital media, mental health status and MIL, during COVID-19 in Hong Kong.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study surveyed 1,488 young people recruited via city-wide random sampling in 2021. Respondents completed a phone survey on digital media use, Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-2), Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-2), COVID-19 impact, meaning in life, and demographics. Gender differences in MIL were tested with an independent sample t-test. Gender-specific multiple linear regression models tested associations between MIL and explanatory variables of age, educational level, history of diagnosis, digital media use, and mental health status.

RESULTS

There was a significant gender difference in MIL (males (M = 12.90, SD = 4.12); females (M = 13.45, SD = 3.96); t (1485) = -2.656, p = .008). For males, all variables significantly associated to MIL (F (9, 759) = 15.731, p < .000, R2 = .157). However, for females, while the overall model for MIL was significant (F (9, 709) = 12.105, p < .001, R2 = .133), the only significant associated variable was mental health status.

CONCLUSION

Females had significantly better MIL under COVID-19 than males. Digital media use contributed to MIL in males but not females, and there were gender-specific associated factors of MIL.

Clarifying Eudaimonia and Psychological Functioning to Complement Evaluative and Experiential Well-Being: Why Basic Psychological Needs Should Be Measured in National Accounts of Well-Being

Measuring subjective well-being as a key indicator of national wellness has increasingly become part of the international agenda. Current recommendations for measuring well-being at a national level propose three separate dimensions: evaluative well-being, experiential well-being, and eudaimonia. Whereas the measurement of the first two dimensions is relatively standardized, the third category has remained undertheorized, lacking consensus on how to define and operationalize it. To remedy the situation, we propose that the third dimension should focus on psychological functioning and the identification of key psychological factors humans generally need to live well. A key part of psychological functioning is the satisfaction of basic psychological needs-specific types of satisfying experiences that are essential for psychological health and well-being. Psychological needs as a category provides a parsimonious set of elements with clear inclusion criteria that are strongly anchored in theory and our current understanding of human nature-and could thus form a core part of the third, "eudaimonic" dimension of well-being. The needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness have especially received broad empirical support. Accordingly, national accounts of well-being should include measures for key psychological needs to gain an enriched and practically useful understanding of the well-being of the citizens.

Does migrant workers' subjective social status affect their mental health? Job satisfaction as a longitudinal mediator

BACKGROUND

Prior studies on migrant workers have explored the effect of their subjective social status and job satisfaction on their mental health, respectively or combined, as well as how their subjective social status affects their job satisfaction. Nonetheless, few have accounted straightforwardly and holistically for the mechanism of interaction between subjective social status, job satisfaction and mental health amongst migrant workers.

AIMS

Taking migrant workers in China as the object of study, we intended to probe the longitudinal links between their subjective social status, job satisfaction and mental health, in particular, their job satisfaction as a longitudinal mediator therein.

METHOD

Using the three-wave data from the 2014, 2016 and 2018 China Labour-force Dynamics Survey, we defined migrant workers as labourers aged 15 to 64 with agricultural hukou and engaged in non-agricultural work in urban areas. The final valid sample comprised 2,035 individuals. Latent growth models (LGMs) were applied to test the hypothesised relationships.

RESULTS

The LGMs based on bootstrapping showed that amongst migrant workers the subjective social status, job satisfaction and mental health tended overall to grow linearly and that the job satisfaction longitudinally mediated between the subjective social status and mental health.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings may enlighten policymaking to elevate migrant workers mentally and inform future studies on theoretical and practical fronts.

The Relationship between Self-Esteem, Self-Efficacy, and Career Decision-Making Difficulties: Psychological Flourishing as a Mediator

Well-being associated with optimism, social support, and self-esteem is positively correlated with career decision. In this perspective, a rather recent concept of flourishing as an integrative notion incorporating these different resources, positive affect, and positive experience is particularly relevant to better understand the relations and correlations between self-evaluation, well-being, and career decision-making difficulties. The present study then examines the relationship between these possible difficulties, self-esteem, self-efficacy, and flourishing. One hundred and seventy-two higher education students participated in the study and completed a four-part questionnaire with the Career Decision-Making Difficulties Questionnaire, the Flourishing Scale, the Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale, and the General Self-Efficacy Scale. The results highlight the mediation of psychological flourishing between personality dimensions-self-esteem and self-efficacy-and career decision difficulties and the fact that those who are most flourishing in their lives will also have the least difficulty in making a career decision. As for the practical implications, guidance counselors for students and young adults need to identify resources and difficulties they have to cope with. This study emphasizes the importance of guiding students in three areas: self-esteem, the perceived quality of social relations, and the meaning attributed to one's existence. Finally, the contribution of positive psychology to career development will be discussed.

Resilience as the Ability to Maintain Well-Being: An Allostatic Active Inference Model

Resilience is often characterized as the outcome of well-being maintenance despite threats to that well-being. We suggest that resilience can also be characterized as an emotional-intelligence-related ability to obtain this outcome. We formulate an allostatic active inference model that outlines the primary tools of this resilience ability as monitoring well-being, maintaining stable well-being beliefs while updating situational beliefs and flexibly prioritizing actions that are expected to lead to well-being maintenance or gathering the information needed to discern what those actions could be. This model helps to explain the role of positive emotions in resilience as well as how people high in resilience ability use regulatory flexibility in the service of maintaining well-being and provides a starting point for assessing resilience as an ability.

Exploring the Mechanisms of Well-Being Occurrence Among Event Tourists: Mixed Empirical Evidence from Positive Psychology

Introduction

This study explores the well-being dimensional components of event tourists and their identification processes in validating the well-being occurrence mechanism of event tourism and the correlation between the well-being of event tourists and the frequency and length of event tourism.

Methods

This study adopted a sequential mixed-methods design that followed a pragmatic paradigm through a photo interview with event tourists and festival travel organizers (N=16). The qualitative research method provided evidence to explore the framework of content and dimensional identification of event tourists' well-being according to Seligman's PERMA model. The quantitative research phase (N=475) focused on identifying and validating the PERMA model in the event tourist well-being dimension through descriptive statistical analysis and validated factor analysis, followed by a one-way analysis of covariance to explore the effects of the frequency and endurance of FSE tourism.

Results

The results show quantitative differences in the well-being dimensions and framework presentation of the PERMA model (Positive emotion, Engagement, Relationship, Meaning, and Achievement). R (relationship) and A (achievement) are identified and validated as dimensions of well-being outcomes for event tourists, while single-day or short trips of 2-3 days were most significant for event tourists' perceived well-being.

Conclusion

This study provides an empirical argument, thus providing an empirical argument for uncovering the deeper influencing and exhibiting factors of the PERMA theoretical framework and a research paradigm for PERMA theory in more tourism behaviors and psychology. Second, this study provides an in-depth explanation of the five dimensions of well-being in the PERMA model. The findings show the salience of the relationship and achievement in FSE tourism well-being, providing theoretical insight into existing studies integrating positive psychology models for in-depth tourism well-being research.

Effect of Academic Self-Efficacy on Test Anxiety of Higher Vocational College Students: The Chain Mediating Effect

Objective

This study aimed to investigate the impact of academic self-efficacy on test anxiety among higher vocational students, as well as the role of sense of life meaning, fear of failure, and gender difference in mediating this relationship.

Methods

A total of 2231 higher vocational students from Shandong Province were surveyed by means of Academic Self-efficacy Questionnaire, Meaning in Life Questionnaire, and Test Anxiety Scale.

Results

There were significant negative correlations among academic self-efficacy, sense of life meaning, and test anxiety. Fear of failure was positively correlated with test anxiety. Sense of life meaning and fear of failure played a mediating role in the relationship between academic self-efficacy and test anxiety. The chain mediating effect was significant only in the female group, not in the male group. In contrast, academic self-efficacy indirectly predicted test anxiety by the independent mediating effect of sense of life meaning or fear of failure in the male group.

Conclusion

Academic self-efficacy may influence test anxiety through the independent mediating effect of sense of life meaning, fear of failure, and the chain mediating effect, and there is a gender difference in these effects.

Delving into the role of creativity on meaning in life: A multiple mediation model

How to enhance the sense of meaning in life is a topic deserving of extensive research. The impact of creativity on finding meaning in life, however, has not been thoroughly explored in empirical research. This paper studies the relationship between creativity and meaning in life, and the cognitive and emotional factors underlying this relationship. The participants of this study were 359 Chinese college students (38 males and 321 females; aged from 17 to 41 years) in learning English as a foreign language (EFL). Four instruments were utilized in the survey, namely, the Kaufman Domains of Creativity Scale (K-DOCS), the Positive Affect Scale, the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES), and the Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ). The correlation analysis shows that creativity, positive affect, general self-efficacy, and meaning in life are all positively correlated. According to a bootstrap method to assess the significance of the indirect effect, general self-efficacy and positive affect play multiple mediating roles in the relationship between creativity and meaning in life via three mediating pathways: general self-efficacy alone, positive affect alone, and the effect of general self-efficacy on positive affect. The mediating effect accounts for nearly half (44.18%) of the total effect. This study examines the theoretical connection between creativity and meaning in life, and uncovers the psychological process that underlies this connection. On a practical level, these results indicate that stimulating Chinese college students to engage in creative activities in various fields can enhance their sense of meaning in life.

The Temporal Focus of Mind-Wandering and Chinese Adolescents' Well-Being

The relationships between the temporal focus of mind-wandering (i.e., past-oriented and future-oriented mind-wandering) and well-being are important issues for adolescents, which may have significant implications on their well-being and self-identity development. However, few studies tested the temporal focus of mind-wandering and its emotional consequences in adolescents. In the present study, we conducted two studies using self-reported questionnaires from large sample sets to examine the relationships between the temporal focus of mind-wandering and hedonic (pleasure attainment) and eudaimonic (meaning pursuing) well-being among Chinese adolescents. Study 1 preliminarily tested the relationships between the temporal focus of mind-wandering and hedonic well-being among adolescents (n = 1273) suggesting that both past-oriented mind-wandering (PMW) and future-oriented mind-wandering (FMW) were positively correlated with hedonic well-being. Study 2 used a new sample (n = 986) and included another aspect of well-being (i.e., eudaimonic well-being), showing that PMW and FMW were both positively correlated with hedonic and eudaimonic well-being. Moreover, self-reflection mediated the relationships between FMW and hedonic/eudaimonic well-being, whereas self-reflection did not act as a mediator in the relationships between PMW and well-being. The present findings indicated that both PMW and FMW are beneficial for Chinese adolescents' well-being, and emphasized the mediating role of self-reflection in the relationships between FMW and well-being.

Meaning in life through work: A cognitive-experiential self-theory (CEST) perspective

This article explores existential meaning-making from work using the cognitive-experiential self-theory (CEST). To start with, we use the tenets of CEST to elaborate on how the cues from archetype work environments—a realization facilitating work environment (RfWE) and justification facilitating work environment (JfWE)—are interpreted by information-processing systems to imbue meaning in life (MiL) as internal or external manifestations of coherence, purpose, and significance. Next, we explain how individual differences in work centrality and proactive meaning-crafting ability moderate the impact of JfWE, but not of RfWE, on MiL. Finally, we create a nomological network of existential meaning states emerging from the simultaneous presence or absence of RfWE and JfWE. In summary, by applying the information-processing lens of CEST, we develop an integrated model that explains how work drives MiL, elucidates the resultant existential states, and assesses the role of individual differences in meaning-making.

Plain Language Summary

This article develops an integrated model that outlines how work environments can augur human well-being by fostering a sense of meaning in life (MiL). Based on the cognitive-experiential self-theory (CEST), expounding parallel-competitive processing of information through the working of the experiential and rational system, we explore how the cues from archetype work environments—a realization facilitating work environment (RfWE) and justification facilitating work environment (JfWE)—influence the varied flavors of MiL and meaninglessness in life. We build the argument that RfWE activates the functioning of the experiential system to induce a feeling of internal MiL as internal coherence, internal purpose, and internal value significance. At the same time, JfWE triggers the functioning of the rational system to construct a judgment of external MiL as external coherence, external worthy purpose, and external value significance. However, the interaction between RfWE and JfWE can result in intricate scenarios, including favorable states such as holistic meaning, positive existential feelings, and positive existential narratives. Still, it can also lead individuals into meaninglessness in life through existential fatigue, existential cocoon, or existential futility. Nonetheless, individual differences in work centrality and proactive behavior to craft meaning can act as moderators to alter the intensity of work’s impact on MiL in a JfWE but not in an RfWE.

An everlasting love: The relationship of happiness and meaning

Happiness is of great importance to people. Although happiness constitutes a central theme in psychology, the absence of a unifying theory and inconsistent terminology undermine scientific progress. The present article goes beyond attempting to define “types of happiness” or its contributing factors and addresses the role of happiness (i.e., embodied positive emotional patterns) as a function of a dynamic multisystem (i.e., an individual) and its relationship to meaning (i.e., ongoing bidirectional cognitive processes). As a dynamic multisystem, a person strives for stability as they move in physical space, and during their development, across time (i.e., dynamic balance). A primary requirement for dynamic balance is maintaining consistency by connecting the cognitive system to behavior. In psychological terms, such a connection is facilitated by meaning. The model suggests that happiness serves as a marker of a person’s consistency and meaningful interpretations of their lived experience. The model points to a new research direction.

Self-Concept Clarity and Learning Engagement: The Sequence-Mediating Role of the Sense of Life Meaning and Future Orientation

In this study, we systematically examined the effects of self-concept clarity on high school students' learning engagement and the mediating role of sense of life meaning and future orientation between self-concept clarity and learning engagement in order to provide guidance to enhance students' learning engagement. A total of 997 students from freshmen to seniors were selected for the study using a cluster random sampling method. The following tools were used: the Self-Concept Clarity Scale, the Learning Engagement Scale, the Sense of Life Meaning Scale, and the Future Orientation Questionnaire. The results indicated that the clarity of self-concept positively predicted the level of learning engagement of high school students. Sense of life meaning and future orientation partially mediated the effect between self-concept clarity and learning engagement, and sense of life meaning and future orientation had sequence-mediated effects between self-concept clarity and learning engagement among high school students. This study suggests that high levels of self-concept clarity can help high school students actively seek a sense of life meaning and make more optimistic future orientations, thereby increasing their level of learning engagement.

Is Religion Special?

Religion makes unique claims (e.g., the existence of supernatural agents) not found in other belief systems, but is religion itself psychologically special? Furthermore, religion is related to many domains of psychological interest, such as morality, health and well-being, self-control, meaning, and death anxiety. Does religion act on these domains via special mechanisms that are unlike secular mechanisms? These could include mechanisms such as beliefs in supernatural agents, providing ultimate meaning, and providing literal immortality. We apply a critical eye to these questions of specialness and conclude that although it is clear that religion is psychologically important, there is not yet strong evidence that it is psychologically special, with the possible exception of its effects on health. We highlight what would be required of future research aimed at convincingly demonstrating that religion is indeed psychologically special, including careful definitions of religion and careful attention to experimental design and causal inference.

Meaning in Life and Coping With Everyday Stressors

Meaning in life (MIL) has been proposed to improve coping and resilience. Yet MIL's association with coping has primarily been investigated in the context of extreme stressors and trauma, often using varied measures of MIL. Is MIL associated with varied coping strategies, coping self-efficacy, and distress in relation to commonly experienced, everyday challenges? Using diverse methodological designs, five studies (total N = 1,646) investigated the association between MIL and coping strategies/appraisals pertaining to varied challenging, stressful events. Across recalled (Studies 1 and 2), anticipated (Study 3), and experienced stressors (Studies 3-5), MIL was consistently associated with positive reinterpretation, proactive planning, coping self-efficacy, and stress. MIL was inconsistently related to threat/emotion-coping.

How is the problematic smartphone use affected by social support? A research model supported by the mediation of Ikigai

Social support and ikigai (making life worthwhile) have positive effects on problematic smartphone use and are seen to be related to each other. However, what mediates these relationships has not been adequately analyzed. This study aims to examine how the effect between social support and problematic smartphone use occurs by suggesting the mediator role of ikigai. The study was designed as quantitative and cross-sectional, and 1189 university participants aged 18 and over were reached online. The multidimensional scale of perceived social support, ikigai-9 scale, smartphone application-based addiction scale and sociodemographic information form were used as data collection tools in the study. The data obtained were carried out using SPSS 24 and Amos 25 statistical programs. Established hypotheses were tested with correlation, multiple regression and mediation analyzes. The results confirmed that social support was positively associated with ikigai, and ikigai was negatively associated with problematic smartphone use. In addition, interaction analyzes found that ikigai had a mediating effect. These findings show the importance of implementing specific applications based on the meaning and purpose of life (ikigai), especially for vulnerable groups, to minimize the problems that may arise with the excessive use of smartphones.

Effects of positive reappraisal and self-distancing on the meaningfulness of everyday negative events

Current work on meaning-making has primarily focused on major negative life events such as trauma and loss, leaving common daily adversities unexplored. This study aimed to examine how utilizing meaning-making strategies such as positive reappraisal and self-distancing (in isolation or in combination) can facilitate an adaptive processing of these daily negative experiences. Overall meaning and facets of meaning (coherence, purpose, and significance/mattering) were assessed at both global and situational levels. Results suggested that positive reappraisal was generally effective for enhancing situational meaning but not under all conditions. Specifically, when negative experiences were high on emotional intensity, reflecting on the experience from a distanced (third-person) perspective enhanced coherence and existential mattering more than engaging in positive reappraisal. However, when negative experiences were low on intensity, distanced reflection led to less coherence and mattering than positive reappraisal. The findings of this study elucidated the importance of examining the multidimensional construct of meaning at the facet level and highlighted the importance of applying different coping strategies to effectively make meaning out of daily negative experiences.

The Relationships Between Suicidal Ideation, Meaning in Life, and Affect: a Network Analysis

Transitioning from holistic analysis to a fine-grained level analysis may provide further understanding of psychopathology. This study aimed to explore dimension-level relationships between suicidal ideation, meaning in life, and affect in a joint framework using network analysis and to identify potential prevention and intervention targets to address suicidal ideation. A total of 852 healthy adults aged 18-35 years completed self-report scales to assess suicidal ideation, meaning in life, and affect. A regularized partial correlation network was then built to examine the links between these dimensions. Expected influence and bridge expected influence values were calculated for each node. The prevalence of suicidal ideation was 4.2%. The search for and presence of meaning in life and positive and negative affect exhibited distinct and complex links to the three dimensions of suicidal ideation (pessimism, sleep, and despair). The important central nodes were search for meaning in life, sleep, despair, and positive affect, while the critical bridge nodes were positive affect, negative affect, and presence of meaning in life. These findings provide further understanding of the specific roles of meaning in life and affect in suicidal ideation. The identified nodes may be promising targets for prevention and intervention for suicidal ideation.

More Than a Momentary Blip in the Universe? Investigating the Link Between Religiousness and Perceived Meaning in Life

One longitudinal and four cross-sectional studies (total N = 3,141) tested two candidate explanations for the association between religiousness and perceived meaning in life. Religiousness may foster a sense of significance, importance, or mattering-either to others (social mattering) or in the grand scheme of the universe (cosmic mattering)-which, in turn, support perceived meaning. We found that perceived social mattering mediated, but could not fully explain, the link between religiousness and perceived meaning. In contrast, perceived cosmic mattering did fully explain the association. Overall, results suggest that perceived social and cosmic mattering are each part of the explanation. Yet, perceived cosmic mattering appears to be the stronger mechanism. We discuss how religious faith may be especially suited to support such perceptions, making it a partially unique source of felt meaning.

Perceived Purpose in Life, Mental Health, and Suicidality in Older U.S. Military Veterans: Results From the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study

OBJECTIVE

To determine the current prevalence of perceived purpose in life (PIL) and its association with screening positive for mental disorders and suicidality in a nationally representative sample of predominantly older U.S. veterans.

METHODS

Data were analyzed from the 2019-2020 National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study (N = 4,069; M_age = 62.2). Veterans were classified into three groups based on perceived PIL level (i.e., low, average, and high). Self-report assessments were administered to screen for mental disorders and suicidality.

RESULTS

Most veterans endorsed average PIL (71.7%), while 16.0% endorsed low PIL and 12.4% endorsed high PIL. A "dose-response" association was observed between PIL and outcomes. High PIL was associated with 42%-94% reduced odds of screening positive for major depressive, generalized anxiety, posttraumatic stress, and substance use disorders, as well as suicide attempts, ideation, and future intent.

CONCLUSION

Higher PIL is associated with lower odds of mental disorders and suicidality in U.S. veterans, underscoring the potential importance of interventions to bolster PIL in this population.

Meaning in Life and Self-Control Mediate the Potential Contribution of Harsh Parenting to Adolescents' Problematic Smartphone Use: Longitudinal Multi-Group Analyses

Problematic smartphone use (PSU) has become an increasingly serious social issue that gradually impairs adolescents' daily social functioning. This study aimed to examine the potential contribution of harsh parenting (HP) to PSU by testing a two-mediator model in which meaning in life (MIL) and self-control (SC) were hypothesized to be two mediators. The moderating role of gender was also examined. Eight hundred and twenty-eight middle school students from rural areas in China (mean age = 13.04) reported on harsh parenting, MIL, self-control, and PSU. Both parents also reported on each other's harsh parenting and their child's self-control. Multi-group structural equation modeling analyses revealed gender differences in the association patterns among the model variables. Harsh parenting was only indirectly associated with PSU for both boys and girls. MIL and self-control completely mediated the relation between harsh parenting and PSU in sequential manners for boys and girls. And for boys, beyond the common path from harsh parenting to PSU, another indirect path existed from harsh parenting to self-control to PSU. But jointly, MIL and self-control precipitate more indirect effects for girls than for boys in the association between harsh parenting and PSU. Findings suggested that harsh parenting was detrimental to adolescents' MIL and self-control, which enhances their risk for PSU, especially for girls. These findings provide more insights for efforts to prevent adolescents from PSU.

Mind-stimulating leisure activities: Prospective associations with health, wellbeing, and longevity

Introduction

This study examines prospective associations within a 6-year perspective between three mind-stimulating leisure activities (relaxed and solitary: reading; serious and solitary: doing number and word games; serious and social: playing cards and games) and 21 outcomes in (1) physical health, (2) wellbeing, (3) daily life functioning, (4) cognitive impairment, and (5) longevity domains.

Methods

Data were obtained from 19,821 middle-aged and older adults from 15 countries participating in the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). Temporal associations were obtained using generalized estimating equations. All models were controlled for prior sociodemographic, personality, lifestyle factors, health behaviors, and pre-baseline leisure activity values and all outcome variables. The Bonferroni correction was used to correct for multiple testing. E-values were calculated to examine the sensitivity of the associations to unmeasured confounding. Secondary analyses (1) under the complete case scenario, (2) after excluding respondents with health conditions, and (3) using a limited set of covariates were conducted to provide evidence for the robustness of the results.

Results

The relaxed solitary activity of reading almost daily was prospectively associated with a lower risk of depression, experiencing pain, daily functioning limitations, cognitive impairment, lower loneliness scores, and more favorable wellbeing outcomes. Engaging in serious solitary leisure activities almost daily was prospectively associated with a lower risk of depression, feeling full of energy, and a lower risk of death by any cause. Occasionally engaging in these activities was prospectively associated with greater optimism and a lower risk of cognitive impairment. Engaging in serious social activities was prospectively associated with greater happiness, lower scores on the loneliness scale, a lower risk of Alzheimer's disease, and an increased risk of cancer. Additionally, occasionally engaging in serious social activities was associated with greater optimism and lower risk of depression, pain, and mobility limitations. These associations were independent of demographics, socioeconomic status, personality, history of diseases, and prior lifestyle. The sensitivity analyses provided substantial evidence for the robustness of these associations.

Discussion

Mind-engaging leisure activities can be considered a health and wellbeing resource. Practitioners may consider them tools that help middle-aged and older adults maintain their health and quality of life.

Mental health in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic: A longitudinal examination of the ameliorating effect of meaning salience

During the COVID-19 pandemic, various restrictions forced people around the world to socially isolate. People were asked to stay at home and were largely unable to do many of the activities that they derived meaning from. Since meaning is often related to mental health, these restrictions were likely to decrease mental health. The current study aimed to examine these effects and additionally benefit individuals' mental health by making their meaning salient. Specifically, the goal of the research was to design an intervention that could counter the potential negative effects of social distancing. We recruited a total of 96 U.S.A. residents (M _age  = 34.45, 92.7% Female) and assigned them to either the control group or to a meaning salience intervention. That is, participants either focused on the meaning of their daily activities (n = 45) or did not participate in any study-related activities during the week (n = 51). They completed various measures of mental health before and after this experimental period. Results suggested that the control group reported significantly greater anxiety, depression, and stress at the end of the week. In contrast, the experimental group reported less anxiety and trended toward less depression and stress at the end of that same week. In all, results suggest that simply focusing on one's daily activities and the meaning found in them protected people from the otherwise detrimental effects of the restrictions. This provides a promising and simple intervention that may assist both individuals and practitioners aiming to improve mental health, especially in challenging times.

Meaning in Life among Older Adults: An Integrative Model

Meaning in life (MIL) among older adults has a significant physical and mental health impact. This study aimed to present an integrative model of factors that contribute to variability in MIL among older adults, including background characteristics (gender, age, employment status, religiosity), personality characteristics (locus of control, self-efficacy, optimism), and psycho-social factors (psychological distress and loneliness). Participants (751 older adults, M_age = 72.27, SD = 6.28; 446 female, 305 male) responded to a questionnaire in-person or online. Measures included: demographic variables, Short Scale for the Assessment of Locus of Control, New General Self-Efficacy Scale, Life Orientation Test-Revised, Kessler Psychological Distress Scale, and Hughes Short Scale for Measuring Loneliness. Hierarchical regression revealed that younger and religious older adults reported higher MIL levels than older and non-religious older adults. Internal locus of control, higher self-efficacy, and higher optimism were linked to higher MIL levels. Higher psychological distress and loneliness were associated with lower MIL levels, with psychological distress contributing the most of all variables in the study model to explain the variance in MIL among older adults. Employed older old adults reported lower MIL levels than those unemployed. The study emphasizes the importance of an integrative approach in the examination of MIL among older adults.

Can patient gratitude expression boost innovative performance? The role of work meaningfulness and supervisory support

Based on emotions as social information (EASI) theory, the current study proposed how and when patient gratitude expression could promote nurses' innovative performance. Using a time-lagged data of 649 nurses from three class A tertiary hospitals in China, the results showed that patient gratitude expression was positively related to nurses' innovative performance, and nurses' work meaningfulness mediated such effect. Furthermore, supervisory support moderated the relationship of work meaningfulness with nurses' innovative performance, as well as the indirect relationship between patient gratitude expression and innovative performance through work meaningfulness, such that the indirect relationship was stronger when supervisory support is higher. Our research helps to expand our understanding of how patient gratitude expression as an organizational external factor influences nurses' innovation in healthcare, and meanwhile, provides management insights for hospital managers to focus on patient gratitude expression and enhance nurse innovation.

Meaning in life, meaning-making and posttraumatic growth in cancer patients: Systematic review and meta-analysis

Introduction

The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to assess the association between meaning in life (MiL), meaning-making and posttraumatic growth (PTG) in the context of cancer.

Methods

A systematic search was conducted in eighteen electronic databases. The screening and selection process followed the PRISMA guidelines. For the purpose of the meta-analysis, the correlation coefficients between meaning in life and posttraumatic growth were extracted from the included studies. The effect size (r) was calculated using the restricted maximum-likelihood estimator, a random-effects model. Heterogeneity was assessed through the Q statistic, I² index and forest plot, while publication bias was analyzed with the use of the funnel plot and Egger's test.

Results

889 records were considered according to the inclusion criteria. A total of nine articles, published between 2006 and 2021, were included in the systematic review. More than half were published in the last five years. The sample was mostly diagnosed with breast cancer. The meta-analysis included five articles (N = 844) and the results indicate a significant moderate correlation between meaning in life and posttraumatic growth (r = 0.43, 95% IC [0.36, 0.50]).

Discussion

In conclusion, there is a clear association between meaning in life and posttraumatic growth in cancer patients. Future research should explore this relationship further, in order to better assist and guide meaning centered interventions that can potentiate a positive adjustment and possibly growth from the cancer experience.

A within-study cross-validation of the values-as-ideals measure: levels of value orientation explain variability in well-being

There is a consensus that values serve as ideal standards that motivate and influence behavior. Previous research concludes that certain universal values promote well-being and others undermine it. In line with the idea that values behave as a dynamic system and do not influence well-being as independent elements, the present findings indicate that all universal values may contribute to well-being. A new measure assessing the degree 10 universal value domains serve as ideals is administered on an online sample (N = 933) from the United Kingdom. Participants completed three well-being measures. Latent Profile Analysis in a within study cross-validation (Sample 1: n = 468, Sample 2: n = 465) replicates three distinct latent value profiles denoting high, moderate and low levels of value orientation. Analysis of Variance shows that the level of value orientation explains differences in average levels of well-being. A high-level of value orientation is associated with higher average levels of well-being compared to a low-level of value orientation. This evidence suggests that the degree values influence well-being depends on the level they represent people's ideals. In conclusion, the type of value pattern and not the type of prioritized values can systematically explain variability in well-being. Implications are discussed.

Semiotic vista

Throughout life, one may witness grand views, scenes accompanied by intense affect and a sense of awe or wonder. The awe-inspiring things in these experiences vary considerably from suns in sunsets to glowing visages in holy visions to juices in simple tangerines. For different people, different views along the broad spectrum of these affectively intensive grand-view experiences can produce meaning in life, the influential facet of wellbeing identified by positive psychologists but poorly differentiated from meaning-making in other senses. This paper lays out a theory of semiotic vista to organize such disparate signification events and their use of both linguistic and non-linguistic signs. Using the examples of accounts of mountain hiking experiences, mindfulness meditation experiences, and supernatural encounters, I describe semiotic vista as a transitional mode of semiotic viewing in which agents re-interpret multiple signifiers of ordinary phenomena (objects) as valorized components of novel contexts, typically in association with intense affective experience. The vista mode is heavily facilitated by the (re)generation of at least two primary types of first-order indexical interpretants which occur in these contexts and of their attendant second-order indexicality which (semi)permanently re-contextualizes the objects originally referenced in the same view. I also briefly touch on how this process relates to storytelling and audience reactions. This analysis has implications for wellbeing, positive affect generation, and ideological enregisterment.

Have a good day! An experience-sampling study of daily meaningful and pleasant activities

We organize our daily lives with a relatively high degree of freedom. Some things must be done; others are optional. Some we find meaningful, some pleasant, some both, and some neither. The present study looks at such evaluations of daily activities and how they relate to perceived meaning in life. Sixty-two students from an Austrian university first completed the meaningfulness scale from the Sources of Meaning and Meaning in Life Questionnaire (SoMe). They then participated in a 1-week experience-sampling assessment, wherein they completed a short questionnaire at five random time-points per day. They indicated their current activity and then reported, on a 6-point Likert scale, how pleasant and meaningful they perceived it to be. Activities could thus be categorized as meaningful, pleasant, both, or neither. Results reflected that activities grouped under culture/music, communication, intimacy, and sports are experienced as both highly meaningful and pleasant. A two-level hierarchical linear regression suggested that people with high trait meaningfulness experience their daily activities as more meaningful than people with lower trait meaningfulness if they also enjoy what they are doing. People with low trait meaningfulness, however, tended to experience their daily activities as rather meaningless, even if they enjoyed them very much. Thus, when looking for advice on how to have a good day, clarifying one’s meaning in life seems to represent the best starting point.

Self-Compassion and Authentic-Durable Happiness During COVID-19 Pandemic: The Mediating Role of Meaning of Life and the Moderating Role of COVID-19 Burnout

BACKGROUNDS AND AIMS

Self-compassion is important for authentic-durable happiness, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. To better understand the potential complexity of effects, this study sought to explore (a) the mediating role of meaning of life in the association between self-compassion and authentic-durable happiness and (b) the moderating role of COVID-19 burnout in the relationship between self-compassion and meaning of life.

METHODS

We conducted a cross-sectional online survey study in China from February 1 to 14, 2021. Online survey questionnaire technique and convenience sampling method were used for data collection. Participants anonymously completed the measures of self-compassion scale short form, COVID-19 burnout scale, meaning in life questionnaire, and subjective authentic-durable happiness scale. The data were examined utilizing Pearson's r correlations and moderated mediation analysis.

RESULTS

This study included 1165 Chinese college students (Mage = 19.68 years, SD = 1.37). Self-compassion (M = 3.39, SD = 0.49) was significantly positively associated with authentic-durable happiness (M = 3.82, SD = 0.66) (r = 0.45, p < 0.001), and mediation analyses indicated that meaning of life (M = 4.65, SD = 0.86) partially mediated this association (indirect effect = 0.103, SE = 0.016, 95% CI = [0.073, 0.135]). Moderated mediation analysis further revealed that COVID-19 burnout (M = 1.87, SD = 0.72) buffered the relation between self-compassion and meaning of life (β = -0.05, p < 0.033).

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

Findings of this study shed light on a correlation between self-compassion and authentic-durable happiness. In addition, this study underlines the importance of intervening in COVID-19 burnout among college students and enhancing the meaning of life in order to promote and safeguard authentic-durable happiness in the setting of COVID-19.

Longitudinal measurement invariance of the meaning in life questionnaire in Chinese college students

The Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ) is a popular tool to measure the presence of and one’s search for meaning in life. Although the validity of the MLQ has been verified in previous studies, the evidence from longitudinal measurement invariance (LMI) of the MLQ is still lacking. The current study aimed to examine the LMI of the MLQ in a sample of Chinese college students (N = 328) at a 1-year interval. Multigroup confirmatory factor analysis (MCFA) was used to examine the LMI of the MLQ over four time points (over the course of 1 year). Results indicate that the MLQ has strict longitudinal invariance across 1-year in Chinese college students, and the latent means difference of MLQ-P is not significant differences across time, while the latent means difference of MLQ-S show significant differences between Time 1 and the other time points. Moreover, the internal consistency reliabilities (e.g., alpha and omega) of the MLQ scores were acceptable at all four time points, and the stability coefficients across time were moderate. These findings provide preliminary evidence that the MLQ has satisfactory longitudinal properties in Chinese college students.

Evaluating Optimism, Hope, Resilience, Coping Flexibility, Secure Attachment, and PERMA as a Well-Being Model for College Life Adjustment of Student Veterans: A Hierarchical Regression Analysis

The purpose of this study is to examine (a) to what extent demographic covariates, foundational and emerging positive psychology traits (FEPPTs), and PERMA uniquely predict college life adjustment, health-related quality of life (HRQOL), and life satisfaction of student military veterans; (b) PERMA as a happiness and well-being model for college life adjustment, HRQOL, and life satisfaction among student veterans; and (c) FEPPTs as predictors of PERMA. In addition, we tested whether total PERMA scores mediate the relationship between service-connected disability and college adjustment. A total of 205 student veterans responded to an online survey. Results revealed that demographic covariates (e.g., service-connected disability), FEPPTs (e.g., optimism), and PERMA (e.g., positive emotion) significantly accounted for college life adjustment, HRQOL, and life satisfaction of student veterans. In addition, a mediation analysis revealed that PERMA partially mediated the relationship between service-connected disability and college life adjustment of student veterans. The results of this study provide empirical supports for the use of PERMA as a comprehensive well-being model of college life adjustment for student veterans.