Clarifying the Relationship Between Having a Clear Meaning-of-Life Belief and Three Dimensions of Meaning in Life: A Study Among Finnish Religious Professionals

BackgroundThe burgeoning field of research on the dual-factor model of mental health (DFM) has highlighted its significance, yet the applicability of the DFM in military personnel and its longitudinal relationships with different dimensions of meaning in life remains unclear. This study aimed to clarify the applicability of the DFM for military personnel and to investigate longitudinal relationships between the dual factors of mental health (negative factor, positive factor) and the two dimensions of meaning in life (presence of meaning, search for meaning) in military personnel.MethodsIn this study, data were collected in two waves (April and August 2023) from 227 Chinese military personnel. We constructed a dual-factor model with depression as the negative factor and subjective well-being as the positive factor, and we compared it with a single-factor model to determine if DFM could be applied to military personnel. We also constructed a cross-lagged model to investigate longitudinal relationships between depression, subjective well-being, presence of meaning, and search for meaning.ResultsAccording to the findings, military personnel fit better with the DFM than with the single-factor model. Cross-lagged analysis results revealed that both the presence of meaning and the search for meaning negatively predicted depression and positively predicted subjective well-being.ConclusionsThe DFM had good applicability among military personnel. Both the presence of meaning and the search for meaning could improve military mental health, suggesting that both dimensions of meaning in life may be potential targets for improving military mental health.

Background and Objectives The stress people experience in relation to a highly stressful event, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, can undermine their sense of meaning in life. This study examined the relationship between COVID-19 pandemic-related stress and meaning in life and whether self-compassion and savoring positive emotional experience moderated this relationship. Methods Participants (N = 498) completed measures of pandemic-related stress, dimensions of meaning in life (comprehension, purpose, mattering), self-compassion (self-kindness, common humanity, mindfulness), and savoring (savoring through anticipation, savoring the moment, savoring through reminiscence). Results Results of regression analyses showed that pandemic-related stress related to less meaning in life and that all dimensions of self-compassion and savoring (with the exception of savoring through reminiscence) related positively to a dimension of meaning in life. Only common humanity buffered the relationship between pandemic-related stress and a dimension of meaning in life (purpose) as expected. Unexpectedly, for people high on common humanity the relationship between pandemic-related stress and mattering was positive, and for people high on mindfulness, the relationship between pandemic-related stress and comprehension was negative. Conclusions Although cross-sectional, this study’s findings suggest that promoting common humanity might be important for protecting purpose and enhancing one’s sense of mattering during a pandemic.

BackgroundTo assess three dimensions of Meaning in Life (comprehension, purpose, and mattering) the Multidimensional Existential Meaning Scale (MEMS) was developed, however, the MEMS's factorial structure has not yet been confirmed in a Spanish-speaking sample. A question that remains unanswered is which of the three dimensions of MiL are associated with psychopathology in clinical samples.Aims(1) to analyze the psychometric properties of the MEMS in a Spanish non-clinical population, and (2) to identify which of the three dimensions of MiL shows the strongest relationship with depression, anxiety and positive affect in a clinical population.MethodThe non-clinical sample, consisted of N = 1106 Spanish adults, and the clinical sample consisted of 88 adults diagnosed with mental disorders. A Confirmatory Factor Analysis and regression analysis were carried out.ResultsThe three-factor model for the MEMS showed an acceptable fit, and full invariance across gender groups. In the clinical sample, the mattering dimension had the highest association with depression and anxiety, and purpose with positive affect.ConclusionThe MEMS is an adequate instrument to assess the three dimensions of meaning in Spanish-speaking participants. These results support the importance of evaluating the MiL construct from a multidimensional perspective in clinical samples.

Volunteering provides sense of meaning in life. The impact of volunteering on different dimensions of meaning in life and the mechanisms explaining the effects have been rarely researched. This study examined the effects and the mechanism of a formal volunteering program for mental health in older persons, including training, service provision, and supervision, on two dimensions of meaning in life — presence of meaning and searching for meaning — among senior volunteers. A mixed method study was conducted. 103 volunteers (average age=63.3±6.6) completed assessments at three time points: before and after the training, and one-year after service provision. They self-assessed Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ) and reported time use in different tasks. 26 of them participated in focus groups discussing their experience in the program. Volunteers’ search for meaning differed between time points (F(1.87,173.81)=3.20, p<.01) while presence of meaning persisted. Search for meaning reduced from before the training to after service provision (p<.05) as revealed by post-hoc tests. Proportion of home visit during service provision explained 2.7% of the variance of presence of meaning before and after service provision (R2=0.05, F(6,74)=1.376, p<.05). Findings from focus groups revealed that application of trained skills and building trusting relationship with their clients via home visits are sources of meaning. Formal volunteering may have dual impacts on meaning in life in older age: reducing search for meaning and maintaining presence of meaning. For senior volunteers, being able to apply what they learn and building social connects are the key factors for attaining meaning.

Filial piety and meaning in life among late adolescents: A moderated mediation model

Subjects with Asperger’s syndrome without intellectual disabilities have significant difficulties in establishing social relationships despite their IQ being within the normal range. One of the effects of social deficit is depression. The question arises whether loneliness and dimensions of meaning in life correlate with the severity of depression and whether the average severity of depression, loneliness and dimensions of meaning in life differentiate the following groups: people with Asperger’s syndrome and depression, people with Asperger’s syndrome without depression, people with depression without Asperger’s syndrome and healthy subjects. The study was conducted on a total of 170 people, including: 43 people with Asperger’s syndrome and depression, 41 people with Asperger’s syndrome without depression, 40 people with depression without Asperger’s syndrome and 46 healthy people (without Asperger’s syndrome and without depression). All were administered a demographic survey, Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II), De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale, Life Attitude Profile-Revised. Asperger’s syndrome and depressive episodes were diagnosed on the basis of ICD-10 research criteria still applicable in Poland. In the group with Asperger’s syndrome and depression the highest levels of loneliness and the lowest values of the dimensions of the sense of meaning in life, except for the acceptance of death, were observed. This result was significantly different from the results obtained in the other study groups. Both in people with Asperger’s syndrome without depression and in people with depression without Asperger’s syndrome, the values of the dimensions of the sense of meaning in life and the level of loneliness differ significantly from the results obtained in the control group. The BDI-II scores correlated positively with the loneliness values and negatively with the sense of meaning in life values in all groups. The results indicate that both suffering from depression and having Asperger’s syndrome are associated with an increased sense of loneliness and a reduced sense of meaning in life. People with Asperger’s syndrome and depression have the highest values of loneliness and the lowest values of dimensions of the sense of meaning of life compared to the other groups studied. The limitation of the work is the deliberate selection of groups, because it would be interesting to answer the question whether Asperger’s syndrome is a risk factor for depression in the population.

Following calls for multidimensional conceptualizations of meaning in life, the tripartite view where meaning is seen to consist of significance, purpose, and coherence has gained in popularity. To operationalize it, we developed the Three Dimensional Meaning in Life Scale (3DM), confirming its factor structure, psychometric properties, and validity in Studies 1 (n = 301), 2 (n = 300), and 3 (n’s = 171 & 161). Study 4 (n = 241) was experimental inviting participants to read vignettes in three conditions, each emphasizing one dimension of meaning in life, demonstrating that people can discriminate between lives high on each specific dimension. Study 5 (n = 336) investigated the separateness of significance and mattering, finding both overlap and distinctiveness, suggesting that they could be sub-facets of the same overarching dimension. The results thus provide empirical and experimental support for the tripartite view of meaning in life, while providing new nuance to it.

The purpose of this article was to investigate the relationships between different dimensions of meaning in life and subjective and psychological well-being (PWB) among late adolescents. Three hundred and eighty four Polish participants completed The Personal Meaning Profile scale, The Satisfaction With Life Scale, The Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, The PWB scale, and the Meaning in Life Questionnaire. Two studies were conducted. In Study 1, the findings revealed that personal meaning had strong relations with subjective well-being (SWB) and PWB. In addition, the dimensions of personal meaning were more strongly associated with the cognitive dimension of SWB than with PWB. In Study 2, search for meaning had positive associations with SWB and PWB among those late adolescents who already had substantial meaning in life. Individuals who were in presence and search style had higher levels of SWB and PWB than those in only search style or presence style. The results demonstrate that purpose embedded in the concept of meaning in life appears central to the formation of adolescent well-being as young people come to establish overarching aims.

Researchers seem to view meaning in life as consisting of different dimensions: coherence, purpose, and significance. Meaning in life has been found to be a protective factor against several mental disorders, and an association between meaning in life and the psychopathology of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) has been found. The aim of this study is to analyze the role of the dimensions of meaning in life. The sample was composed of 102 participants with BPD diagnoses from mental health services in Spain, and all of them filled out the BSL-23, PIL-10, MLQ, and OLQ questionnaires. The results suggest that BPD symptoms are negatively correlated with meaning in life. The meaning in life dimensions’ model accounted for 52% of the variance in BPD symptoms. The variables that significantly predicted BPD symptoms were: Meaning and Satisfaction, Comprehensibility (coherence), and Purpose and Vital Goals. The present study emphasizes meaning in life as an important variable in BPD psychopathology.

In recent years, the tripartite conceptualization of meaning in life (MIL) including (a) coherence/comprehension, (b) purpose, and (c) significance/mattering has received growing scholarly consensus and some support from factor analytic findings. However, a considerable body of studies has shown that the three MIL dimensions are highly correlated, suggesting the potential for MIL's unidimensionality. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate whether a bifactor model, compared to other plausible models, best explained the relations among three MIL dimensions, namely, comprehension, purpose, and mattering. Using four different samples (4,041T1 and 2,717T2 midlife adults, 610 adults, 956 college students, and 346 patients with chronic illnesses), results indicated that the bifactor model best fit the data, compared to the unidimensional model and the correlated three-factor model. The bifactor model provided evidence for an overarching MIL factor. Ancillary bifactor indices favored the unidimensionality of MIL. The findings provide conceptual, measurement, and practical implications for MIL researchers and practitioners. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

Straipsnyje nagrinėjamos su sveikata susijusio gyvenimo būdo ir skirtingų gyvenimo prasmės dimensijų sąsajos ankstyvosios suaugystės laikotarpiu. Siekiama atsakyti į klausimą, ar stipresnis gyvenimo prasmės patyrimas gali prognozuoti sveikatai palankesnį gyvenimo būdą? Tyrime dalyvavo 218 suaugusiųjų (136 moterys ir 82 vyrai) nuo 20 iki 30 metų amžiaus (M = 24,13; SD = 3,35). Tyrime naudotas autorių sudarytas Gyvenimo būdo klausimynas, Gyvenimo tikslo testas (Crumbaugh, Maholick, 1964) ir Gyvenimo prasmės klausimynas (Steger ir kt., 2006), fiksuota informacija apie tiriamųjų demografine ir socialine padėtį. Tyrimo rezultatai rodo, kad gyvenimo tikslo / paskirties suvokimas prognozuoja sveikatai palankesnį gyvenimo būdą, t. y. sveikesne mitybą, mažesnį alkoholio ir kitų psichoaktyvių medžiagų vartojimą, mažesnį rūkymą, silpnesnį rizikingą elgesį bei saugesnį seksualinį elgesį. Gyvenimo prasmės buvimas (patyrimas) prognozuoja didesnį fizinį aktyvumą bei silpnesnį rizikingą elgesį. Nenustatyta reiksmingų gyvenimo būdo ir gyvenimo prasmės ieskojimo ankstyvojoje suaugystėje sąsajų. Moteriska lytis yra svarbus gyvenimo būdo ir atskirų jo sricių prognozuotojas: jaunos moterys linkusios sveikiau maitintis, jos mažiau vartoja alkoholio ir kitų psichoaktyviųjų medžiagų, joms būdingas saugesnis seksualinis elgesys.

Self-control and meaning in life among Chinese young adults: The role of self-efficacy

The aim of this chapter is to provide an understanding of retirement adjustment by specifically focusing on meaning in life for retirees and meaningful work for older workers who are close to retirement. After a first outline of global issues of aging and work, we approach transition to retirement from the standpoint of sustainable careers within its main dimensions of continuity and importance of personal agency. Next, we review and synthesize literature on meaningful work and meaning in life, distinguishing three levels that constitute meaningful work and five dimensions of meaning in life. To illustrate our points, we present quotations from semi-structured interviews realized with Swiss older workers who were going to retire within a few months. Then, we describe ways to promote meaningful work for older workers and how to create a new meaning or to pursue a previous meaning as a retiree. Finally, we suggest ways individuals, organizations, and career counselors can facilitate a meaningful transition to retirement.

Aim of the studyThe purpose of this study is to examine the relationships between different dimensions of meaning in life and burnout among firefighters. The relationships between personal meaning, presence of meaning, search for meaning, and burnout are to be examined. In addition, the differences in the firefighters’ level of burnout are to be evaluated within three styles of meaning in life.Subject or material and methodsParticipants were 189 Polish firefighters who participated in the study voluntarily. The age ranged from 20 to 50 years and the mean age was 33.04 years (SD = 7.87). The participants were randomly recruited from twelve fire stations located in southern parts of Poland. They filled in the following questionnaires: the Personal Meaning Profile, the Meaning in Life Questionnaire, and the Maslach Burnout Inventory.ResultsFirefighters with higher levels of personal meaning and presence of meaning reported less emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, and more personal accomplishment. Most of the personal meaning dimensions also had significant associations with the burnout indicators. Individuals in detached style had higher levels of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization than individuals in presence style and presence and search style.DiscussionMeaning structures are an important salutary factor that enables firefighters to effectively comprehend and interpret their work-related experiences, and thus reduces the likelihood of distress and weariness. Search for meaning has beneficial effects on burnout consequences among firefighters only if it is linked with presence of meaning.ConclusionsValuable goals and purposes endow individuals with meaningful experiences which form the building blocks of meaning in life that neutralize burnout processes.

In the wake of significant adversity, a range of recovery outcomes are possible, from prolonged distress to minimal effects on functioning and even psychological growth. Finding meaning in one's life is thought to facilitate optimal recovery from such adversity. Research on psychological growth and recovery often focuses on the daily hassles or significant traumas of convenience samples or on people's psychological recovery from medical illness. A small body of research is developing to test theories of growth among survivors of natural disasters. The present study of 57 survivors of the 2013 Colorado floods tested the incremental relations between posttraumatic growth (PTG) and dimensions of meaning in life, vitality, and perceived social support. The most consistent relations observed were among the one dimension of meaning-search for meaning-perceived social support, and PTG. Despite the limitations of this study, we conclude that search for meaning in life may be an important part of recovery from natural disasters, floods being one example.