Personal meaning as a predictor of psychological well-being over time in individuals receiving HIV-related mental health services

Abstract

Objective This study examined the utility of personal meaning as a resilience variable in predicting psychological well-being over time in individuals enrolled in an HIV-related mental health services program. It was hypothesized that meaning assessed at the time of enrollment for mental health services would significantly predict well-being at the 3-month follow-up visit. A secondary hypothesis was that meaning would predict well-being in a model that also included social support as a predictor variable. Method Participants completed self-report measures of psychological well-being, personal meaning and social support at the time of their initial mental health services visit. Well-being was measured again at the time of the 3-month follow-up visit. Regression methods were used for statistical analysis. Results Personal meaning assessed at the baseline visit was predictive of psychological well-being assessed at the 3-month follow-up visit when baseline well-being was controlled. Additionally, social support mediated the association between personal meaning and psychological well-being at the 3-month follow-up visit. Conclusions Assessing personal meaning as a resilience variable in this clinical psychiatric sample of individuals enrolled in an HIV mental health services program was useful in predicting psychological well-being over time.