Meaning in life as a protective factor against depression

Abstract

The main objective of this study was to analyze the mediating role that meaning in life has between emotion dysregulation and depressive symptomatology in Spanish university students. Five hundred and sixty-six Spanish university students participated in the study. All of them completed the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and the Purpose in Life Test (PIL-10). A mediation model was performed to test the hypothesis that meaning in life mediates the effect of emotional dysregulation on depressive symptomatology in college students. The results show a positive, moderate, and statistically significant correlation between depression and emotional dysregulation. In addition, a negative, moderate, and statistically significant correlation was found between depression and meaning in life, and a negative, small, and statistically significant correlation between emotional dysregulation and meaning in life. Finally, the results of the mediation model evidence the role of meaning in life in different emotional dysregulation strategies and depressive symptomatology. These findings suggest the importance of incorporating the meaning in life variable in the development and implementation of prevention and treatment programs for psychological disorders.

Psychometric Evaluation of Brief Reason for Living Inventory for Adolescents (BRFL-A) Instrument in the Indonesian Language

“…The discriminant validity results are concurrent with those of previous studies stating that reasons for living served as a protective factor against mental illness including depression and suicidality. 7 , 34 , 35 …”

Strengthening the meaning in life among college students: the role of self-acceptance and social support - evidence from a network analysis

“…During this period, meaning in life can serve as an important mental resource that keeps students continuously reaching for the achievement of identity ( Olstad et al, 2023 ). Indeed, the loss of meaning in life may result in failures in completing developmental tasks, which could manifest as adaptation problems, increased mental problems including depression, anxiety and social media addiction, as well as worsened academic performance, greatly hindering the self-fulfillment and overall well-being of college students ( Cho, 2021 ; Ye et al, 2021 ; Baquero-Tomás et al, 2023 ; Guo Y. G. et al, 2023 ; Zhao, 2023 ). Alarmingly, it has raised much attention that the loss of meaning in life, or the so-called “hollow-heart disease” is becoming increasingly prevalent among Chinese college students ( Huang et al, 2022 ).…”