meaning in life

Background: Emerging adulthood is a vulnerable developmental period for suicidal ideation. Psychological pain is often associated to its occurrence, however, the factors related to the transition from psychological pain to suicidal ideation remain unclear. This study aimed to analyze the mediating capacity of entrapment and the moderating capacity of meaning in life in the relationship between psychological pain and suicidal ideation during emerging adulthood. Methods: Participants were Spanish emerging adults who completed a battery of questionnaires through LimeSurvey platform. A moderated mediation was conducted. Results: The model explained 63.8% of the variance in suicidal ideation. Entrapment mediated the relationship between psychological pain and suicidal ideation. Furthermore, at low levels of meaning in life, psychological pain was positively associated with suicidal ideation, while at high levels, the association was no longer significant. Conclusions: These findings highlight the importance of assessing psychological pain and entrapment as potential risk factors of suicidal ideation during emerging adulthood, and support the development of interventions aimed at fostering their meaning in life.

Background The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine represent unprecedented global stressors with substantial consequences for mental health. Objective A repeated cross-sectional study was conducted in three independent Hungarian samples before COVID-19 ( N = 249), after the second wave of COVID-19 ( N = 265), and during the early phase of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine ( N = 148) to examine differences in meaning in life, coping competencies, and fear of death, as well as in the relationships among these constructs. The outbreak of the invasion during data collection provided a unique opportunity to examine these constructs during its early phase. Results Compared with the post-COVID sample, lower descriptive levels of fear of death were observed following the outbreak of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Lower levels of several coping resources, particularly sense of coherence and social competencies, together with the greater relevance of search for meaning, were among the key findings associated with these unforeseen stressors. Stronger associations between coping and meaning in life were identified, while the association between presence of meaning and search for meaning became stronger following the outbreak of the invasion. Network analyses further suggested a closer integration of meaning-related processes with fear of death and coping resources, although these patterns should be interpreted cautiously given the limited stability of the network estimates. Conclusion The findings suggest that exposure to successive unforeseen large-scale stressors may be associated with the reorganization of meaning-related processes and coping resources. The patterns observed following the outbreak of the war may be interpreted within the framework of distal defense processes described by the terror management theory, although these mechanisms were not directly assessed in the present study. The results suggest that longer-term existential anxiety processes and their delayed psychological and social consequences should be considered when developing mental health interventions. These findings may contribute to the refinement of healthcare interventions across multiple levels and cultural contexts in preparation for current and future crises.

Objective This cross-sectional study (1) compared social support, psychological-capital dimensions, and both C-MLQ dimensions between students with and without visual impairments; and (2) among students with visual impairments, examined the association between social support and presence of meaning (C-MLQ-P) and tested the a priori hypothesized cross-sectional indirect association through hope. Self-efficacy, resilience, and optimism were examined exploratorily in descriptive/correlational and hierarchical-regression analyses. Methods Participants were 170 students with visual impairments and 294 students without visual impairments from a vocational college in China. They completed measures of social support, psychological capital, and meaning in life. Group differences were examined using MANCOVA with follow-up ANCOVAs. Among students with visual impairments, Pearson correlations and an exploratory hierarchical regression were conducted, and H3 was tested using a single cross-sectional indirect-effect model with social support (ASSS-Total) as the predictor, hope (PPQ-Hop) as the indirect variable, presence of meaning (C-MLQ-P) as the outcome, and age and sex as covariates. Results After adjustment for age and sex, students with visual impairments scored significantly lower on objective support, support utilization, self-efficacy, optimism, presence of meaning, and search for meaning than students without visual impairments, whereas no significant group differences were observed for subjective support, resilience, or hope. Among students with visual impairments, social support was positively associated with the presence of meaning (r = 0.56, p < 0.01). In the H3 model, the total association between social support and presence of meaning was 0.8912 (95% CI [0.6988, 1.0835]), the direct association was 0.3560 (95% CI [0.1655, 0.5465]), and the indirect association through hope was 0.5352 (BootSE = 0.0923, 95% bootstrap CI [0.3680, 0.7239]). Conclusions In this sample from a single Chinese vocational college, social support was positively associated with the presence of meaning, and a significant cross-sectional statistical indirect association was observed through hope. Because the data were cross-sectional, the observed indirect association does not establish temporal ordering or a causal mechanism. Longitudinal and experimental studies are needed to determine whether changes in social support precede changes in hope and presence of meaning.

Objective: To explore how community-dwelling adults aged 80 years and older experience ageing well and the meanings they attribute to this experience.Materials and Methods: This qualitative study employed Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Twelve adults aged 82–100 years (six women and six men) were recruited using criterion and snowball sampling. Data were collected through in-depth interviews using a semi-structured interview guide, conducted in participants' homes, and analysed according to IPA principles.Results: Five interconnected themes emerged: living life on one's own terms, growing old without feeling alone, accepting life through faith, remaining active and productive, and finding meaning in life. Participants described ageing well not as the absence of disease or as complete independence, but as maintaining agency while receiving support when needed, preserving meaningful relationships, adapting to age-related changes, and sustaining a sense of purpose in everyday life. Ageing well was experienced as a dynamic process shaped by the interplay among individual capacities, relationships, and the environment.Conclusion: Ageing well among the oldest-old can coexist with age-related limitations and the need for support. Rather than depending on complete independence, it involves continuing to live in personally meaningful ways as circumstances change. These findings broaden conventional understandings of ageing well by foregrounding the lived experiences of the oldest-old and support gerontological approaches that recognise both individual agency and the relational and contextual conditions that enable it.

هدف: بررسی چگونگی تجربه سالمندی موفق توسط بزرگسالان ساکن جامعه با سن ۸۰ سال و بالاتر و معانی‌ای که به این تجربه نسبت می‌دهند. مواد و روش‌ها: این مطالعه کیفی با استفاده از تحلیل پدیدارشناسی تفسیری (IPA) انجام شد. دوازده بزرگسال با سنین ۸۲ تا ۱۰۰ سال (شش زن و شش مرد) با استفاده از نمونه‌گیری معیاری و گلوله‌برفی انتخاب شدند. داده‌ها از طریق مصاحبه‌های عمیق با راهنمای مصاحبه نیمه‌ساختاریافته در منازل شرکت‌کنندگان جمع‌آوری و بر اساس اصول IPA تحلیل شدند. یافته‌ها: پنج مضمون به‌هم‌پیوسته استخراج شد: زندگی بر اساس خواست و اراده شخصی، سالمند شدن بدون احساس تنهایی، پذیرش زندگی از طریق ایمان، فعال و مولد ماندن و یافتن معنا در زندگی. شرکت‌کنندگان سالمندی موفق را نه به عنوان فقدان بیماری یا استقلال کامل، بلکه به عنوان حفظ عاملیت در کنار دریافت حمایت در مواقع نیاز، حفظ روابط معنادار، سازگاری با تغییرات مرتبط با سن و تداوم احساس هدفمندی در زندگی روزمره توصیف کردند. سالمندی موفق به عنوان فرایندی پویا تجربه می‌شود که از تعامل میان ظرفیت‌های فردی، روابط و محیط شکل می‌گیرد. نتیجه‌گیری: سالمندی موفق در سالمندان بسیار سالمند می‌تواند همزمان با محدودیت‌های مرتبط با سن و نیاز به حمایت وجود داشته باشد. به جای تکیه بر استقلال کامل، این امر شامل ادامه زندگی به شیوه‌های معنادار شخصی با توجه به تغییر شرایط است. این یافته‌ها درک‌های متعارف از سالمندی موفق را با برجسته کردن تجارب زیسته سالمندان بسیار سالمند گسترش می‌دهد و از رویکردهای سالمندشناسی که هم به عاملیت فردی و هم به شرایط رابطه‌ای و زمینه‌ای مؤثر بر آن توجه دارند، حمایت می‌کند.

This study aimed to examine the relationships among meaning in life, depressive symptoms, and substance use severity in adolescents diagnosed with substance use disorder (SUD). This cross-sectional study included 75 adolescents aged 15–18 years diagnosed with SUD. Clinical characteristics and severity of SUD were assessed using the Addiction Profile Index–Adolescent Interview Form (BAPI-E), depressive symptoms were evaluated using the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale-Child Version (RCADS-CV), and meaning in life was assessed using the Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ-10). Hierarchical multiple linear regression showed that MLQ-10 (presence of meaning) scores were negatively related to RCADS-CV (depression) scores (B = –0.40, p < 0.001), while BAPI-E scores were positively associated with RCADS-CV (depression) scores (B = 1.26, p = 0.002). However, neither MLQ-10 (presence of meaning) scores, age, nor gender demonstrated a significant association with BAPI-E scores. These findings indicate that a greater presence of meaning is associated with fewer depressive symptoms, while greater depressive symptom severity is associated with greater substance use severity in adolescents with SUD. Psychosocial interventions aimed at strengthening a sense of meaning may be relevant to the psychological well-being of adolescents with SUD; however, longitudinal studies are needed to determine whether changes in meaning in life are associated with subsequent changes in depressive symptoms or substance use severity.

هدف این مطالعه بررسی روابط میان معنای زندگی، نشانه‌های افسردگی و شدت مصرف مواد در نوجوانان مبتلا به اختلال مصرف مواد (SUD) بود. این مطالعه مقطعی شامل ۷۵ نوجوان ۱۵ تا ۱۸ ساله مبتلا به SUD بود. ویژگی‌های بالینی و شدت SUD با استفاده از فرم مصاحبه نمایه اعتیاد نوجوانان (BAPI-E) ارزیابی شد، نشانه‌های افسردگی با استفاده از نسخه کودک مقیاس بازنگری‌شده اضطراب و افسردگی کودک (RCADS-CV) سنجیده شد و معنای زندگی با استفاده از پرسشنامه معنای زندگی (MLQ-10) مورد ارزیابی قرار گرفت. رگرسیون خطی چندگانه سلسله‌مراتبی نشان داد که نمرات MLQ-10 (حضور معنا) با نمرات RCADS-CV (افسردگی) رابطه منفی دارند (B = –0.40, p < 0.001)، در حالی که نمرات BAPI-E با نمرات RCADS-CV (افسردگی) رابطه مثبت دارند (B = 1.26, p = 0.002). با این حال، هیچ‌یک از نمرات MLQ-10 (حضور معنا)، سن یا جنسیت ارتباط معناداری با نمرات BAPI-E نشان ندادند. این یافته‌ها نشان می‌دهند که حضور بیشتر معنا با نشانه‌های کمتر افسردگی مرتبط است، در حالی که شدت بیشتر نشانه‌های افسردگی با شدت بیشتر مصرف مواد در نوجوانان مبتلا به SUD همراه است. مداخلات روان‌اجتماعی با هدف تقویت حس معنا ممکن است برای بهزیستی روان‌شناختی نوجوانان مبتلا به SUD اهمیت داشته باشد؛ با این حال، مطالعات طولی برای تعیین این‌که آیا تغییرات در معنای زندگی با تغییرات بعدی در نشانه‌های افسردگی یا شدت مصرف مواد مرتبط است، مورد نیاز است.