Longitudinal Associations of Experiential and Reflective Dimensions of Meaning in Life With Psychopathological Symptoms
Abstract
Background Rather than being rooted in deliberate reflection, the experience of meaning has been shown to evolve from intuitive processes (Heintzelman & King, 2013b, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6527-6_7). Accordingly, experiential and reflective dimensions of meaning in life can be distinguished (Hill et al., 2019, https://doi.org/10.1080/09515070.2018.1434483). In this preregistered study, we explored how these dimensions are longitudinally associated with psychopathological symptoms. We expected that experiencing more meaning would predict fewer depressive symptoms and fewer personality functioning impairments six months later, whereas reflecting about meaning would predict more psychopathological symptoms. Method A German-speaking sample of N = 388 completed self-report measures assessing meaning in life, depression, and personality functioning at baseline and six months later. Results Controlling for depression at baseline, elevated levels of experiencing meaning in life predicted a decrease in depressive symptoms. Experiencing meaning did not predict personality functioning impairments six months later. However, exploratory analyses with a larger sample tentatively showed that experiencing meaning in life predicted less impairments in personality functioning. Evidence supporting the hypothesized association between reflection and future depression as well as future personality functioning impairments was discerned through exploratory analyses. Generalizability of…
Read the paper
Related studies
- In silico strategies for modeling RNA aptamers and predicting binding sites of their molecular targets
- Folic acid-hydrophilic polymer coated mesoporous silica nanoparticles target doxorubicin delivery
- Anti-phytopathogenic and plant growth promoting potential of endophytic fungi isolated from Dysoxylum gotadhora
- Mercury toxicity causes iron and sulfur deficiencies along with oxidative injuries in alfalfa (Medicago sativa)
- Suppression of lncRNA GAS6-AS2 alleviates sepsis-related acute kidney injury through regulating the miR-136-5p/OXSR1 axis in vitro and in vivo
- Assessing the Protective Effect of Moringa oleifera Extract against Bone Metastasis: An In Vitro Simulated Digestion Approach
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.