Existential Well-being Research Articles

Responding to Life Itself: A Proposed Understanding of Domain, Goal and Interventions for Chaplaincy in a Secular Age.

Processes of secularization have impacted the chaplaincy profession regarding at least three features: its domain, goals and interventions. Traditional religious understandings of those features no longer reflect the diverse worldviews of chaplains and their clients. In this article, we present a comprehensive and coherent generic model of chaplaincy that encompasses different religion- and worldview-based types of chaplaincy. We propose to understand the domain of chaplaincy as the process of 'responding to life itself'. The corresponding goal of chaplaincy care is well-being with regard to that process, which may be called 'existential well-being'. Existential well-being can be achieved along the lines of 'The Ritual Bath Model'. By formulating this overarching model, we hope to contribute to discussions among chaplains on their collective professional self-understanding, and to support them in confidently accounting for their professional activities within secular contexts.

‘The Little Things’: The Temporality of Young People’s Strategies for Existential, Grounded, and Expansive Wellbeing in Rural Australia

AbstractThis paper is based on research in rural southeast Australia with young people from recent migrant and refugee backgrounds. While existing research on the wellbeing of this group often emphasises successful settlement through education, employment, and belonging as pathways to future wellbeing, this paper asks what we can learn from young people’s own experiences and understandings of wellbeing. Guided by the words, images, and reflections of young people involved in this research, the paper explores everyday wellbeing as an existential, relational, and situated happening that takes both time and place. Young people in the study highlighted the importance of finding beauty, joy, and connection in ‘the little things’ of daily life to bring a sense of meaning into monotonous temporal rhythms and weekly routines structured by work and study. Drawing from Todres and Galvin’s ‘dwelling-mobility’ wellbeing framework, this paper conceptualises young people’s ability to be well as intricately intertwined with their ability to experience their lives over time as grounded and secure, while also having a sense of greater meaning and possibility. Ultimately, the paper illustrates how young people understand their ability to be well as temporally complex, informed by ongoing, non-linear interactions between past, present, and future experiences as they look forward and back over their lives, seeking to transform the passage of time from meaningless to meaningful.

Applying Dignity Therapy to a person with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Introduction: To understand the effects of Dignity Therapy on the physical, existential, and psychosocial symptoms of aperson with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.Method: This is a single case study exploratory, and descriptive employing a mixed method approach. In it, Dignity Therapywas applied to an individual diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, and its effectiveness was assessed using the following scales: the Patient Dignity Inventory, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, the Spiritual Well-being Scale, and the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale.Results: The application of Dignity Therapy was assertive for the intended objectives, considering the reported improvement in the participant’s existential well-being, made possible by the evocation of significant memories that culminated in the creation of a legacy document for future generations. These improvements were also corroborated by lower scores on the assessment scales.Conclusion: The results of this case point to the positive effects of Dignity Therapy on physical, existential, and psychosocial symptoms, suggesting the feasibility of this intervention as an integral part of palliative care. Such an approach can help improve quality of life and give new meaning to the suffering inherent in the disease.

The Spiritual Well-Being Scale in the Polish Catholic Setting: Construct, Structure, and Relationships with Psychological Well-Being.

The population of Poland could be of particular interest to researchers studying religion and spirituality. Catholicism has played a significant role in shaping the country's culture, history, and tradition and is considered a national religion. More recently, however, the processes of moving away from regular participation in religious services and loosening ties with the institution of the Catholic Church are marked (Polish Public Opinion Research Center, CBOS). The Polish Catholic setting may modify the associations between psychological variables that have been studied in their relationships with spirituality, which have been investigated in religious contexts differing from a PolishCatholic one. Given this context, we examined the internal structure of spiritual well-being in the sample of present-dayPolishCatholics (Study 1) and how spiritual well-being is related to mental health (Study 2). The internal structure of the Spiritual Well-Being Scale was replicated in the Polish sample, but only positively worded items loaded on the Religious and Existential Well-Being subscales. Spiritual well-being was positively related to positive mood, satisfaction with life, and psychological well-being; it wasnegatively associated with negative mood, depression, and anxiety, thus remaining significantly related to psychological well-being among Polish Catholics.

Exploring gender dynamics and predictors of resilience among nursing students

AimThis study examined the gender differences in contributing factors to resilience among university nursing students, controlling for the age and year of study. BackgroundResilience is a behavioral pattern learned through personal and professional experiences. Resilience is crucial in nursing education and shapes clinical proficiency and care quality that may best target during college years, preparing nursing students for their future careers. DesignCross-sectional design was used in the current study MethodsOnline surveys were used to collect the data from 623 nursing students. Validated instruments assessed resilience, decision fatigue, spiritual well-being, stress overload and spiritual and religious coping. Two regression models were generated to examine gender dynamics in predicting resilience. ResultsThe results showed that more than half of our sample has low resilience (n = 285, 45.7 %). The regression model significantly predicted more than 60 % of the variance in resilience among male nursing students (F(3, 234) = 123.87, p <.001), with religious well-being, negative spiritual and religious coping and stress overload being significant predictors in the model. The regression model predicting resilience among female nursing students showed that the model significantly predicted about half of the variance (F(4, 378) = 123.87, p <.001) with positive spiritual and religious coping, existential well-being, negative spiritual and religious coping and stress overload being significant contributors in the model. ConclusionGender disparities echoed existing literature, advocating gender-sensitive strategies in promoting resilience. Early resilience nurturing through diverse modalities can foster a resilient nursing cohort adept at tackling multifaceted healthcare challenges.

Mindfulness to enhance quality of life and support advance care planning: a pilot randomized controlled trial for adults with advanced cancer and their family caregivers

BackgroundPatients with advanced cancer and family caregivers often use avoidant coping strategies, such as delaying advance care planning discussions, which contribute to deterioration in their quality of life. Mindfulness-based interventions have shown promise in improving quality of life in this population but have rarely been applied to advance care planning. This pilot trial examined the preliminary efficacy of a group-based Mindfulness to Enhance Quality of Life and Support Advance Care Planning (MEANING) intervention for patient-caregiver dyads coping with advanced cancer. Primary outcomes were patient and caregiver quality of life or well-being, and secondary outcomes included patient advanced care planning engagement (self-efficacy and readiness) and other psychological and symptom outcomes.MethodsIn this pilot trial, dyads coping with advanced cancer were recruited from five oncology clinics in the midwestern U.S. and randomized to six weekly group sessions of a mindfulness intervention (n = 33 dyads) or usual care (n = 22 dyads). Outcomes were assessed via surveys at baseline, post-intervention, and 1 month post-intervention. All available data were included in the multilevel models assessing intervention efficacy.ResultsPatients in the MEANING condition experienced significant increases in existential well-being and self-efficacy for advance care planning across follow-ups, whereas usual care patients did not. Other group differences in outcomes were not statistically significant. These outcomes included other facets of patient well-being, caregiver quality of life, patient readiness for advance care planning, caregiver burden, and patient and caregiver depressive symptoms, anxiety, sleep disturbance, cognitive avoidance, and peaceful acceptance of cancer. However, only MEANING patients showed moderate increases in psychological well-being across follow-ups, and MEANING caregivers showed moderate increases in quality of life at 1-month follow-up. Certain psychological outcomes, such as caregiver burden at 1-month follow-up, also showed moderate improvement in the MEANING condition. Patients in both conditions reported small to moderate increases in readiness to engage in advance care planning.ConclusionsA mindfulness-based intervention showed promise in improving quality-of-life and advance care planning outcomes in patients and caregivers coping with advanced cancer and warrants further testing.Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT03257007. Registered 22 August 2017, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03257007.

The Polish Version of the Spirituality Index of Well-Being Scale (SIWB): Development and Adaptation of a Measure

The purpose of this study was to adapt the Polish version of the Spirituality Index of Well-Being Scale (SIWB). Our survey included 392 Polish Catholics, mostly women (N = 267). The factor analyses confirmed the two-factor nature of the SIWB. A model including a second-order factor with two first-order factors similar to the original version proposed by Frey and colleagues (2005) obtained satisfactory values of goodness-of-fit indices. The Polish version of the scale showed high internal consistency. Our study also confirmed the validity of the scale. SIWB scores were positively and strongly related to existential well-being, moderately positively related to resilience and spiritual well-being, and positively and weakly related to religious well-being. The SIWB is a tool for measuring spiritual quality of life with good psychometric properties. The tool can be used to diagnose an index of psychological well-being in the general population.

Spirituality, Self-Efficacy, and Medication Use in African American Women with Hypertension: Beyond the Prescriptions.

Objective: This study aimed to determine the relationship between spiritual, religious, and existential well-being and self-efficacy for appropriate medication use in African American women with hypertension. Methods: In this study, we conducted cross-sectional correlations using linear regression analysis. An African American sample of women from across the United States with hypertension was chosen through a purposive sampling technique. An online survey was used. Results: There were 186 African American women with hypertension who took part in the study, with an average age of 57.15 (SD = 12.79) years. The study found significant correlations between spiritual (p = .022), religious (p = .033), and existential (p = .021) well-being and self-efficacy for appropriate medication use in African American women with hypertension. The study concluded that no women reported high spiritual, religious, or existential well-being, only moderate. Nor were they very confident that they would take their medications under changing or challenging circumstances. Conclusion: African American women are the most religious aggregate in the United States, and there is evidence that spiritual, religious, and existential well-being affects their self-efficacy for appropriate medication use. Clinicians and researchers must collaborate to enhance medication adherence through continuous education, assessment, and reinforcement while also attuning their practice to spiritual, religious, and existential well-being effects on self-efficacy for appropriate medication use in African American women.

The power of faith: Racial discrimination and religiosity among Black American men.

Research on prosocial behavior among Black¹ Americans should account for the daily realities that many face, including racial discrimination and cultural resources which may provide sources of resilience amidst injustice, such as religiosity and spirituality. We assessed whether racial discrimination, religiosity, and existential well-being (EWB) are related to the odds of engaging in prosocial behaviors for Black men. Using data from a community-dwelling sample of 171 Black men in the United States, we used logistic regression tests to assess whether racial discrimination, organizational religiosity, personal religiosity, and EWB were associated with Black men's volunteering, mentoring, and charitable giving. We also examined whether racial discrimination moderated the association between religiosity and prosocial behavior. Discrimination was not significantly associated with Black men's odds of engaging in prosocial actions. Odds of volunteering were significantly greater among Black men who reported more regular involvement at their religious institutions. Personal religiosity was also significantly associated with greater odds of mentoring youth and charitable giving. Discrimination did not significantly moderate any associations. Black men's faith is a relevant contributor to their prosocial action. Religious institutions and psychologists can work collaboratively in supporting this positive trajectory. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

"We Wanna Be Nurses Because We Want the Human Connection": Acceptability and Usability of a Person-Centered Narrative Intervention in an Acute Care Setting.

The use of narrative interventions in health care is an effective way to communicate connection between patients and clinicians. The electronic health record (EHR) is a primary mode of communicating patient information across clinical teams. Thus, incorporating a person-centered cocreated narrative with patients into the EHR is an opportunity to share a person's cultural values, beliefs, and preferences; provide connection; and foster positive patient-clinician interactions. This study of a person-centered narrative intervention was a randomized controlled trial to test intervention effects on the person's (patient) perceptions of the quality of communication with their nurses and their psychosocial and existential well-being. This article describes the clinical team's experiences and reach of the cocreated person-centered narrative integration into the patient's EHR. The data collected included (1) exit interviews (n = 14), (2) a usability survey (n = 8), and (3) data collected from the EHR for clinicians (n = 600) who accessed the uploaded narratives. Overall, the System Usability Scale and nurse participant's experiences provided confirmation that the person-centered narrative intervention was usable. There were also interprofessional groups of clinicians in the health care system who accessed the narratives. Future research should continue to identify core components and implementation strategies of EHR-integrated person-centered narratives in complex health care settings.

Spiritual nursing education programme for nursing students in Korea: a systematic review and meta-analysis

PurposeThis study conducts a systematic review and meta-analysis to understand the characteristics and contents of studies on spiritual nursing education programmes and their effects.MethodsThe literature search included five databases (RISS, KISS, DBpia, Science ON, and KmBase) published in South Korea until September 30, 2021. Nine studies were included in the final review, with six for the meta-analysis using the RevMan 5.4. 1 programme. The programmes targeted nursing students and nurses in the RN-BSN course and employed methods such as lecturing, discussions, and case presentations. The contents focused on self-spirituality awareness, spirituality-related concepts, understanding others’ spirituality, and the process and application of spiritual nursing.ResultsThe meta-analysis revealed statistically significant effects on spiritual nursing competencies, spirituality, spiritual well-being, existential well-being, and spiritual needs, except self-esteem. Spiritual nursing education was effective in enhancing spiritual nursing competencies.ConclusionThe study confirmed that spiritual nursing education effectively improves spiritual nursing competency, indicating a need for increased focus and administrative and financial support for such education in schools and hospitals. Furthermore, future studies should employ randomised experimental designs to examine the effects of online education programmes with short training time on clinical nurses in hospitals.

God image as a moderator of God concept’s relation to shame, depression, and existential well-being among seminarians.

God image as a moderator of God concept’s relation to shame, depression, and existential well-being among seminarians.

Not all mindfulness is equal: certain facets of mindfulness have important implications for well-being and mental health across the lifespan.

The connections between the five facets of mindfulness, well-being, and mental health across the lifespan have traditionally been investigated using variable-centered approaches. Less research has investigated these relationships from a person-centered, profile-based approach. In this work, we aimed to identify the profiles of mindfulness in a Canadian lifespan sample (14 to 90 years of age) and investigate how these profiles compared on age, well-being, and mental health. An age- and gender-balanced sample of 1,600 participants completed a questionnaire that measured the five facets of mindfulness; life satisfaction; existential well-being; and anxiety, depression, and stress symptoms. A latent profile analysis was conducted. Five profiles based on the five-facet model of mindfulness were identified: high mindfulness, moderate mindfulness, low mindfulness, nonjudgmentally aware, and judgmentally observing. The 3-step approach to profile comparisons was used to assess age, mental health, and well-being differences across the profiles. Those in the high mindfulness and nonjudgmentally aware profiles were generally older, while the judgmentally observing profile contained younger individuals. Those in the high mindfulness and nonjudgmentally aware profiles reported the greatest mental health and well-being. Conversely, those in the low mindfulness and judgmentally observing profiles had worse mental health than the other profiles. The moderate mindfulness profile was situated between these profile groups on age, mental health, and well-being outcomes. This pattern of results has implications for mindfulness-based intervention research and practice to better account for heterogeneity in mindfulness and better support well-being across the lifespan.

Existential Well-Being in Nature: A Cross-Cultural and Descriptive Phenomenological Approach

Exploring the putative role of nature in human well-being has typically been operationalized and measured within a quantitative paradigm of research. However, such approaches are limited in the extent to which they can capture the full range of how natural experiences support well-being. The aim of the study was to explore personal experiences in nature and consider how they might be important to human health and well-being. Based on a descriptive phenomenological analysis of fifty descriptions of memorable moments in nature from England, Indonesia, and Norway, our findings illustrate a common structure presented under three themes: 1. serenity that gives rise to a growing awareness of how the body is stimulated by the senses; 2. admiration and appreciation for the sensation of beauty; 3. an emerging sense of togetherness and deep emotional bonding. The findings are discussed using the concepts of ecological time and the ecological body, which foreground being in nature as constituted as an interdependent and dynamic human process. We conclude by understanding well-being in terms of human responsiveness to their surroundings and thus as rooted in the human condition.

Spiritual Fitness, Spiritual Readiness, and Depressive Symptoms in Reserve Officers' Training Corps Cadets.

Over the past decade, the United States military has taken an interest in addressing soldiers' spiritual fitness and readiness to help improve their mental health and resiliency. Similar efforts have not been applied within the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) population despite the mental health challenges these college students experience. To examine spiritual readiness, spiritual fitness, and depressive symptoms in ROTC cadets. Cross-sectional study. Web-based survey. We recruited ROTC cadets from 1 large southeastern university (n = 91 of 315, 28.9% response rate). The ROTC cadets (age = 21 ± 3 years; men = 68, 74.7%; women = 22, 24.2%; missing = 1, 1.1%) were mainly classified as juniors (n = 30, 33.0%) and in Army ROTC (ROTC branch: Army = 69, Air Force = 20, Navy = 2). The survey contained 3 validated instruments used to assess spiritual fitness (the Spiritual Fitness Inventory [SFI]), spiritual readiness (Spiritual Wellbeing Scale [SWBS]), and mental health via depressive symptoms (Patient Health Questionnaire [PHQ-9]). Results were analyzed using descriptive statistics and nonparametric Mann-Whitney U tests to compare belief in God or gods with the dependent measures. A Pearson correlation was calculated to assess the relationship between the SWBS score and PHQ-9 data. In total, 85.7% (n = 78/91) of ROTC cadets stated that they believed in God or gods. Overall, the cadets were considered to have average spiritual fitness (mean = 75.04 ± 14.89) and moderate spiritual well-being (mean = 90.46 ± 18.09). The average PHQ-9 score was 4.22 ± 5.25. Individuals who believed in God or gods had higher spiritual readiness (believer = 94.44 ± 16.10, nonbeliever = 67.00 ± 9.35; P ≤ .01). No statistically significant differences were noted for symptoms of depression (believer = 3.38 ± 4.90, nonbeliever = 6.60 ± 6.90; P = .143) or spiritual fitness (believer = 76.12 ± 14.78, nonbeliever = 64.40 ± 12.68; P = .054) in ROTC cadets based on belief status. Overall, the ROTC cadets had moderate to average spiritual fitness and readiness, with typical depressive symptoms scores. Spiritual readiness was different for those who believed in God or gods, and existential well-being was significantly correlated with depressive symptoms.

Existential Therapy within Palliative Care: Searching for Meaning

IntroductionIrvin D. Yalom defines existential psychotherapy as a dynamic therapeutic approach that focuses on concerns rooted in existence with the four ultimate concerns being death, isolation, meaning in life, and freedom. Patients in advanced stages of cancer often experience elevated levels of psychological distress, encompassing conditions such as depression, anxiety, and a sense of spiritual hopelessness. Recently, interest in spiritual well-being has prompted a new wave of interventions that directly target this population, namely logotherapy and other existential interventions based on existential principles.ObjectivesIn this review, the primary focus was to comprehend the current evidence on the application of existential psychotherapy for individuals coping with advanced cancer and give an overview of the therapy approaches used.MethodsNarrative review of scientific literature using Pubmed search engine.ResultsTerao and Satoh identified nine types of existential psychotherapies which were investigated using randomized controlled trials for patients with advanced cancer or in terminal care: Meaning-Centered Group Psychotherapy (MCGP), Individual Meaning-Centered Psychotherapy (IMCP), Meaning-Making intervention (MMi), Meaning of Life Intervention, Managing Cancer and Living Meaningfully (CALM), Hope Intervention, Cognitive and Existential Intervention, Dignity Therapy, and Life-Review Interviews. All deal with the issues pointed by Yalom. Existential or spiritual well-being improvements were validated in MCGP, IMCP, Meaning of Life intervention, and Life-Review intervention.ConclusionsCurrent evidence is still based on a very limited number of studies. Additional research is needed to delve into the impact of existential psychotherapy on individuals facing advanced cancer.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

The Relationship between Religious Well-Being, Existential Well-Being, Fear of Progression and Quality of Life in Patients with Cancer: The Mediating Role of Hope.

A cancer diagnosis can be psychologically challenging to individuals due to perceptions that the disease is potentially incurable truncating life expectancy. The purpose of the study was to examine the relationships among religious well-being, existential well-being, fear of progression and quality of life in Iranian patients with cancer and to evaluate the potential mediating role of hope on these relationships. This study with predictive cross-sectional design was done in 2023. Data was gathered from 398 patients with cancer that was selected with accessible sampling method from cancer center of Mazandaran university of medical sciences (Sari, Iran). Study constructs included the religious and existential wellbeing, cancer fear of progression, Snyder Hope, and quality of life. Analysis of a Moment Structures (AMOS) software (v27) was utilized for all study analyses. Covariance based-structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to assess the mediating role of hope. The mean age of patients with cancer was 49.14 (SD = 16.16). The results of the direct effect showed a significant positive relationship between religious well-being and hope (B = 0.164, p < .001), and between hope and quality of life (B = 0.212, p < 0.001). Also, significant negative relationship between fear of progression and hope (B = -0.147, p < 0.05) was founded. A significant positive relationship between hope and quality of life, as well as religious well-being and hope, suggests the influential effects of hope and religious well-being on improving quality of life in patients with cancer. Negative relationships between fear of progression and hope conclude that managing fear of progression may be an important factor in increasing hope and improving quality of life in patients with cancer.

EXISTENTIAL VALUES AS THE BASIS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING OF A UNIVERSITY TEACHER: THEORETICAL AND EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS

Purpose. The article analyzes the relationship between the existential values of a university teacher and the manifestations of indicators of the emotional sphere. In this study, we consider the problem of a teacher’s psychological well-being from the perspective of an existential approach. An analysis of scientific sources on the issues of neuroticism, emotional and professional burnout of teachers, as well as directions for overcoming a stressful state to achieve psychological well-being, led us to the conclusion that most researchers see a way out exclusively through satisfying needs, regulating work and rest schedules, and mastering self-regulation methods . We agree that such areas of psychological work help to cope with situational stress, but at the same time, we have identified a gap in the study of the psychological properties of the individual, his value field, which can be the support of a stable emotional state, self-satisfaction and professional activity, significantly reducing risks of neurotic symptoms. We propose that there is a fundamental factor, namely existential values, that underlies the state of psychological well-being. Methodology of the research. During the research process, a detailed theoretical examination of various literary sources was carried out, as well as a comparison and assessment of various points of view expressed in the literary works under consideration. An empirical study was conducted on a sample of 130 Russian university teachers of both sexes, from 40 to 75 years old, with more than 18 years of experience, using psychodiagnostic techniques. Quantitative processing of the results was carried out on the basis of the statistical program STATISTICA 6.0. Results. As a result of empirical research, we received an extensive array of data proving the influence of developed existential values on the state of psychological well-being, namely, we came to such conclusions as: ignoring existential values contributes to the manifestation of such neurotic states as maladaptation, guilt, non-acceptance of oneself, non-acceptance of others, hostility, exhaustion, depersonalization, external control, control, escapism. The acceptance of existential values by a teacher entails the formation of such emotional states as adaptability, internality, self-acceptance, acceptance of others, and emotional comfort. Based on empirical data, we formulated a definition of the term “existential well-being”. Scope of the results. The results of the study will help expand the possibilities of individual and group psychological work with emotionally stressful situations to reduce the risks of neurotic manifestations and the formation of adaptive emotional states in the professional activities of a university teacher at the level of acceptance, awareness and disclosure of the individual’s existential values.

The Association Between Well-Being and Empathy in Medical Residents: A Cross-Sectional Survey.

Objective: To evaluate the extent to which personal well-being may be associated with empathy, while controlling for potential confounders. Settings/Location: Residency programs throughout the United States. Subjects: A total of 407 medical residents from residencies including general medicine, surgery, specialized and diagnostic medicine participated in this study. Outcome Measures: Well-being was measured using the modified existential well-being subscale of the spiritual well-being scale. Empathy was measured using the Jefferson Scale of Empathy. Results: Well-being was found to be positively correlated with empathy when adjusted for possible confounders (p < 0.001). In addition to well-being, other factors noted to be statistically significant contributors to higher empathy scores while controlling for the others included age, gender, year in residency, specialty, and work-hours (p < 0.05 for each). After controlling for these factors, a resident's year in residency was not found to be a statistically significant contributor to empathy score. Conclusions: In this study, well-being was associated with empathy in medical and surgical residents. Empathy is a fundamental component of physician competency, and its development is an essential aspect of medical training. These findings suggest that efforts to increase well-being may promote empathy among medical residents.

“Football Did Not Make Me a World Champion, but It Did Help My Wellbeing”: A Qualitative Study of Study-sport Balance Based on Fung Ka Ki

Managing the balance of academic and athletic responsibilities at university is a serious challenge for student athletes. This phenomenological case study illuminates how one individual successfully managed his study-sport balance at university, and how such experiences shaped his life. Through two semi-structured interviews, the participant Fung Ka Ki, a former student athlete turned international footballer, made sense of his lived experiences at university and achievements post-university. Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was employed for the qualitative analysis. Two themes were derived: 1) Deploying athletic wisdom to inform life coping strategies, 2) Wellbeing through intellect and body developing together as a system. The findings provide insights into how mental and physical discipline may complement each other to create deep existential wellbeing. The study contributes to the on-going debate on whether high performance athletes should further their studies at university, and indicates ways sports and wellbeing practitioners may support student athletes more effectively.