scholarly journals Personal Growth and Well-Being in the Time of COVID: An Exploratory Mixed-Methods Analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juensung J. Kim ◽  
Melanie Munroe ◽  
Zhe Feng ◽  
Stephanie Morris ◽  
Mohamed Al-Refae ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Personal Growth ◽  
Meaning In Life ◽  
Coping Style ◽  
Daily Life ◽  
Extreme Case ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Presence Of Meaning ◽  
Severe Withdrawal ◽  
Transcendent Wisdom

The physical distancing measures necessitated by COVID-19 have resulted in a severe withdrawal from the patterns of daily life, necessitating significantly reduced contact with other people. To many, such withdrawal can be a major cause of distress. But, to some, this sort of withdrawal is an integral part of growth, a pathway to a more enriching life. The present study uses a sequential explanatory QUAN-qual design to investigate whether people who felt that their lives had changed for the better after being forced to engage in physical distancing, what factors predicted such well-being, and how they spent their time to generate this sense of well-being. We invited 614 participants who reported closely following physical distancing recommendations to complete a survey exploring this topic. Our analyses, after controlling for all other variables in the regression model, found a greater positive association between presence of meaning in life, coping style, and self-transcendent wisdom and residualized current well-being accounting for retrospective assessments of well-being prior to physical distancing. An extreme-case content analysis of participants' personal projects found that participants with low self-transcendent wisdom reported more survival-oriented projects (e.g., acquiring groceries or engaging in distracting entertainments), while participants reporting high self-transcendent wisdom reported more projects involving deepening interactions with other people, especially family. Our findings suggest a more nuanced pathway from adversity to a deeper sense of well-being by showing the importance of not merely coping with adversity, but truly transcending it.

scholarly journals Personal growth initiative’s relation to life meaning and satisfaction in a polish sample

2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (5) ◽  
pp. 1648-1660
Author(s):  
Dominika Borowa ◽  
Marlena M. Kossakowska ◽  
Kevin Andrew Harmon ◽  
Christine Robitschek
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Personal Growth ◽  
Meaning In Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Political Transformation ◽  
Personal Growth Initiative ◽  
Presence Of Meaning ◽  
Polish Version ◽  
Growth Initiative ◽  
Measurement And Evaluation

Abstract This study aimed to develop and validate a Polish version of the Personal Growth Initiative Scale - II (PGIS-II; Robitschek et al. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 59(2), 274–287, 2012). The PGIS-II assesses skills for intentional cognitive, behavioral, or affective change in one’s life. These skills may promote positive mental health (Robitschek and Hershberger Journal of Counseling & Development, 83(4), 457–469, 2005) that could benefit Polish individuals following cultural and political transformation since the late 1980’s when Poland regained sovereignty from communism (Muszczynski 2015). The second aim of this study was to verify the hypothesis that Personal Growth Initiative (Robitschek Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development, 30, 183–198, 1998, Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development, 31, 197–210, 1999) may be related to life satisfaction indirectly via presence of meaning in life. Participants were 530 Polish citizens (65.1% female) aged 15–84. Participants completed the PGIS-II (Polish version) and measures to assess construct validity. Confirmatory factor analysis supported a 4-factor structure similar to the original PGIS-II structure, with slight differences in item loadings. Internal consistency estimates for the scale and subscales were adequate to strong. PGIS-II (Polish version) scores correlated positively with measures of well-being, providing evidence for concurrent validity of the scale. There was a significant indirect effect of PGI’s relationship with life satisfaction via presence of meaning in life. The Polish version of the PGIS-II shows sound psychometric properties and may be used with Polish populations.

scholarly journals Meaning of Life and Well-Being: Preliminary Results of the Successful Aging Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 112-112
Author(s):  
Zvi Gellis ◽  
Kim McClive-Reed ◽  
Bonnie Kenaley ◽  
Eunhae Kim
Keyword(s):  
Meaning In Life ◽  
Successful Aging ◽  
Older Persons ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Life Questionnaire ◽  
Presence Of Meaning ◽  
Aging Study ◽  
Proxy Measure ◽  
Health And Well Being

Abstract Meaning in life for older persons has become a focal research point, with findings that a greater sense of meaning is associated with better outcomes on a range of health and well-being factors. Our study examined relationships between scores on several personality scales, including the Meaning in Life Questionnaire (Steger et al., 2009) and the WHO-5 Well-Being Index, a proxy measure of mood/depression. Community-dwelling members (N=535) of Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes aged 50 and up (mean age 71.4, SD = 6.93) at 3 U.S. sites completed surveys. Higher wellness levels were significantly correlated with increased resilience, optimism, life satisfaction, and presence of meaning in life, while lower levels were associated with greater searching for meaning in life. A multivariate linear regression model (F = 55.597, df = 4, p = .000, R = .566, R2 = .320) showed that wellness scores increased with higher scores in optimism (ß = .348, p =.000), resilience (ß = .183, p = .000), and presence of meaning in life (ß = .106, p = .019). However, searching for meaning in life significantly predicted decreases in wellness scores (ß = -.084, p=.019). These results support those of previous studies, suggesting that for older persons, an ongoing search for meaning in life is linked to negative outcomes than a perception of existing meaning in life. A variety of available interventions aimed at increasing meaning and purpose in life (Guerrero-Torelles et al., 2017) may contribute to better health and well-being in older adults.

scholarly journals How Does Search for Meaning Lead to Presence of Meaning for Korean Army Soldiers? The Mediating Roles of Leisure Crafting and Gratitude

2022 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jung In Lim ◽  
Jason Yu ◽  
Young Woo Sohn
Keyword(s):  
Meaning In Life ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Search For Meaning ◽  
Daily Lives ◽  
Presence Of Meaning ◽  
Army Soldiers ◽  
The Republic

Many studies demonstrate that finding meaning in life reduces stress and promotes physical and psychological well-being. However, extant literature focuses on meaning in life among the general population (e.g., college students or office workers) in their daily lives. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the mechanisms of how individuals living in life-threatening and stressful situations obtain meaning in life, by investigating the mediating roles of leisure crafting and gratitude. A total of 465 Army soldiers from the Republic of Korea (ROK) participated in two-wave surveys with a 2-week interval. Structural equation modeling analyses indicated that the direct effects between the search for meaning, presence of meaning, leisure crafting, and gratitude were significant, except for the direct relationship between the search for meaning and the presence of meaning, and between leisure crafting and the presence of meaning. We tested indirect effects using a Monte Carlo approach and found that leisure crafting and gratitude sequentially mediated the relationship between the search for meaning and the presence of meaning. Our findings highlight the importance of the motivation behind searching for meaning, the proactive use of leisure time, and gratitude for individuals in stressful situations and controlled lifestyles. Finally, we discuss the implications and limitations of this research and future research directions.

High Anger Expression is Associated with Reduced Cortisol Awakening Response and Health Complaints in Healthy Young Adults

2016 ◽  
Vol 19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ángel Romero-Martínez ◽  
Luis Moya-Albiol
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Personal Growth ◽  
Community Sample ◽  
Anger Expression ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Cortisol Awakening Response ◽  
Effective Strategies ◽  
Reported Health

AbstractThe extant evidence suggests a robust positive association between expression (anger expression-out) and suppression (anger expression-in) of anger and compromised health. Nevertheless, the underlying psychobiological mechanisms which explain these relationships are not well understood. This study examined whether anger expression would predict general health, cortisol awakening response (CAR) and evening cortisol levels in a community sample of 156 healthy young adults of both genders. Participants were distributed into two groups according to their anger expression scores: high and low anger expression (HAE and LAE, respectively). Findings indicated that those with HAE had worse self-reported health (p = .02) and higher CAR than the LAE group (p = .04). Moreover, high levels of anger expression-out (p < .01) and -in (p < .01, for all) predicted a worse self-reported health in both groups. On the other hand, high anger expression-out was associated with flattened CAR but only in the HAE group (p < .01). This study reinforces the need to develop effective strategies to provide mechanisms to regulate anger expression by promoting personal growth and positive skills that enhance individuals’ well-being and quality of life and, in turn, their own health.

Meaning in Life as Mediator of Family Allocentrism and Depressive Symptoms Among Chinese and Italian Early Adolescents

2020 ◽  
pp. 0044118X2092163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandro Germani ◽  
Delvecchio Elisa ◽  
Li Jian-Bin ◽  
Lis Adriana ◽  
Mazzeschi Claudia
Keyword(s):  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Adolescent Development ◽  
Meaning In Life ◽  
Protective Factor ◽  
Early Adolescents ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Mediation Effect ◽  
Early Adolescent ◽  
Presence Of Meaning ◽  
The Relationship

Establishing a coherent meaning in life has long been considered to be a protective factor of well-being, but this construct has been understudied in early adolescent development. The current study investigated the relationships between family allocentrism and depressive symptoms as well as the mediation effect of meaning in life in 214 Chinese and 201 Italian early adolescents. Although family allocentrism was higher in Chinese than Italian participants, it was significantly associated to lower depressive symptoms in both countries. Moderated mediational analyses showed that in both countries: (a) family allocentrism was positively related with presence of meaning; (b) family allocentrism and presence of meaning were negatively related to depressive symptoms; and (c) presence of meaning mediated the relationship between family allocentrism and depressive symptoms. In conclusion, family allocentrism and presence of meaning in life are important preventive factors of early adolescents’ depressive symptoms in both collectivistic and in individualistic countries.

scholarly journals Personal Growth Initiative and Subjective Well-being: The Mediation Role of Meaning in Life [Iniciativa de crecimiento personal y bienestar subjetivo: el rol mediador del significado en la vida]

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 39
Author(s):  
Clarissa Pinto Pizarro Freitas ◽  
Elif Merve Cankaya ◽  
Bruno Figueiredo Damásio ◽  
Emily Jean Haddad ◽  
Helder Hiroki Kamei ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Personal Growth ◽  
Meaning In Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Personal Growth Initiative ◽  
Growth Initiative ◽  
The Relationship

This study investigated the mediating effect of meaning in life on the relationship between personal growth initiative and subjective well-being. The sample was composed of a total of 1,899 Brazilian participants who voluntarily took part in this study by completing the study survey. Based on the results of the structural equation modeling, the relationship between personal growth initiative and subjective well-being was found to be partially mediated by the presence of meaning in life. Age was found to influence the mediation, as older participants reported greater PGI and MIL. Limitations of the study, as well as directions for future research are discussed.

Grit is Associated with Lower Depression via Meaning in Life among Filipino High School Students

2018 ◽  
Vol 51 (6) ◽  
pp. 865-876 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jesus Alfonso D. Datu ◽  
Ronnel B. King ◽  
Jana Patricia M. Valdez ◽  
Maria Socorro M. Eala
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Psychological Health ◽  
Meaning In Life ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
School Students ◽  
Presence Of Meaning ◽  
Study Results

Grit—passion and perseverance for long-term goals—has been linked to a wide array of positive academic and psychological outcomes. However, limited research has been conducted to explore the association of grit with different indicators of well-being and psychological health. The primary objective of this study was to assess the associations among grit, meaning in life, and depression. There were 447 Filipino high school students who participated in the study. Results of structural equation modeling showed that grit was linked to higher levels of meaning in life dimensions (i.e., presence of meaning and search for meaning in life) and presence of meaning was associated with lower depression. Bias-corrected bootstrapping revealed that grit had an indirect negative influence on depression through the intermediate variable—presence of meaning in life. Theoretical and practical implications are elucidated.

Meaning in Life

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael F. Steger
Keyword(s):  
Meaning In Life ◽  
Structural Model ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Important Variable ◽  
Search For Meaning ◽  
Presence Of Meaning ◽  
Making Sense ◽  
First Time

Studies have linked meaning in life with nearly every other way of measuring the quality and well-being of people’s lives. Despite great empirical strides in meaning in life scholarship, conceptualization on the nature or scope of this important variable seems to be exploding rather than integrating. This chapter discusses the recent convergence among theorists that experiencing the presence of meaning consists of comprehension (making sense of one’s experience), purpose (possessing highly valued goals or missions for one’s life), and significance (perceiving one’s life to be worthwhile and to have value). This chapter also focuses attention on the richness of concepts such as search for meaning, sources of meaning, and orientation to meaning. Finally, this chapter proposes a structural model that unifies these concepts for the first time, portraying how they may be related to each other.

scholarly journals Resiliency, Meaning in Life, and Life Satisfaction: An Examination of Moderating Effects [Resiliencia, significado en la vida y satisfacción vital: un análisis de los efectos moderadores]

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 5
Author(s):  
Chloe Lau Lau ◽  
Anita Feher ◽  
Claire Anne Wilson ◽  
Sarah E. Babcock ◽  
Donald H. Saklofske
Keyword(s):  
Meaning In Life ◽  
Satisfaction With Life ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Hierarchical Regression ◽  
Moderating Effects ◽  
Search For Meaning ◽  
Moderating Role

While presence of meaning in life (i.e., presence) is associated with a plethora of desirable qualities (e.g., greater well-being, longevity, positive affect), search for meaning is associated with psychological distress (e.g., reports of conflict, rumination, depression; Boyle, Barnes, Buchman, & Bennett, 2009). Individuals with higher resiliency, defined as a multifaceted competency in adapting and recovering from adversity, could potentially mitigate the distress associated with search, and thus, achieve greater satisfaction with life (SWL). The present study examined the moderating role of meaning in life between resiliency (i.e., sense of mastery and sense of relatedness) and SWL in a sample of Canadian university students (N=289). Hierarchical regression analyses showed that there was a positive association between resiliency and SWL and this association was stronger at higher levels compared to lower levels of search for meaning. These results suggest that individuals searching for meaning with high levels of mastery have the greatest SWL, while their counterparts with low mastery have the lowest SWL. Similar moderating effects of search were found with the positive association between sense of relatedness and SWL. Overall, findings suggest that protective factors in resiliency may buffer against the potential negative impact of search. 

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