Does Reflection on Everyday Events Enhance Meaning in Life and Well-Being among Emerging Adults? Self-Efficacy as Mediator between Meaning in Life and Well-Being

Abstract

In recent years, the issue of the meaning in life has aroused particularly great interest in researchers considering the question of whether and how, using simple interventions, outside the therapeutic office, the sense of meaning in life and well-being can be strengthened. The aim of this study was to explore whether interventions based on reflection on everyday, stressful situations can contribute to fostering the sense of meaning in life and psychological well-being among emerging adults. Additionally, we aimed to explore relationships between the above-mentioned constructs and self-efficacy. The research focuses on emerging adults, who, as statistics show, are the most vulnerable among all adults to various mental problems. A pretest–posttest control group design was used. The study involved 80 emerging adults (56 women and 24 men) who were randomly assigned to the experimental group, which completed specially prepared diaries for a week, or the control group. Participants completed the Meaning in Life Questionnaire, the Generalised Self-Efficacy Scale, and the Ryff Scales of Psychological Well-Being twice. In the experimental group, significant differences were noted between pretest and posttest in psychological well-being, especially in the area of relationships with others (Mpretest = 59.3; Mposttest = 65.07; t(39) = −11.40; p = 0.001) and purpose in life (Mpretest = 54.85; Mposttest = 58.21; t(39) = −3.15; p = 0.003), as well as self-efficacy (Mpretest = 28.06; Mposttest = 29.60; t(39) = −2.82; p = 0.007). There were no differences in the level of meaning in life. The analysis carried out showed that self-efficacy mediates the relationship between presence of meaning in life and psychological well-being (the Aroian test: z = 4.48; SE = 0.11; p = 0.0007).

Association of Self-reflection With Cognition and Brain Health in Cognitively Unimpaired Older Adults

“…11 Of interest, the ability to find purpose in life and a developed sense of direction requires engagement in self-reflective practices. 11,47 Together, it is conceivable that, instead of preventing the accumulation of pathologic changes (i.e., providing resistance 16 ), self-reflection may contribute to the development of efficient neural systems that allow one to maintain cognition even in the face of accumulating amyloid pathology (i.e., resilience 16 ). Indeed, in our exploratory analyses', associations between self-reflection and global cognition and glucose metabolism remained largely unchanged following inclusion of self-reflection-by-amyloid deposition interactions.…”

Narrative Health: Examining the relationship between the phenomenon of awe and resilience and well-being

“…Sharing narratives more broadly has also been studied to examine its numerous benefits on individuals' well-being (Adler et al, 2016), including contributing to both personal and social change (Rutledge, 2016). When examining developing personal narratives as a type of self-reflection practice, including through guided prompts, research has shown that it can support overall well-being, mental health, social connectedness, purpose in life, and self-efficacy (Agnew, 2022;Czyżowska & Gurba, 2021;Frugé & Drutz, n.d., Koshy et al, 2017;Strumm, 2022).…”

NASA resilience and leadership: examining the phenomenon of awe

“…Finally, and with direct relevance to this study, self-reflection has been described as a practice that can enhance a leader's competency (Goleman et al, 2002). Additionally, guided reflective practices have been suggested as a method of developing leadership skills (Roberts, 2008) while they can also be supportive of psychological wellbeing, social connectedness, purpose in life, and self-efficacy (Czyżowska and Gurba, 2021).…”