Presence of Meaning in Life Mediates the Relations Between Social Support, Posttraumatic Growth, and Resilience in Young Adult Survivors of a Terror Attack

Aliche, Joseph Chinenye; Ifeagwazi, Chuka Mike; Onyishi, Ike E.; Mefoh, Philip C.

doi:10.1080/15325024.2019.1624416

Cited by 21 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 27 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…On the one hand, PIC had a positive and direct impact on posttraumatic growth, confirming that stress and/or trauma are necessary for the emergency of positive growth ( Tedeschi and Calhoun, 2004 ). On the other hand, by reducing their psychological resilience and meaning in life, PIC exhibited a negative impact on posttraumatic growth and a positive impact on anxiety and depression which indicated that psychological resilience and meaning in life are salutogenic to mental health ( Aliche et al, 2019 ; Yu et al, 2013 ). Meanwhile, meaning in life emerged as a mediator in the relationship between psychological resilience and posttraumatic growth, which is in line with a previous finding that resilience can help people understand the value of life, find new meaning, determine their life priorities, and achieve spiritual well-being ( Üzar-Özçetin and Hiçdurmaz, 2019 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

COVID-19 among Chinese high school graduates: Psychological distress, growth, meaning in life and resilience

2021

J Health Psychol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This study examined perceived impact of COVID-19 (PIC) on mental health outcomes (anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic growth) and roles of resilience and meaning in life. In October 2020, 430 Chinese high school graduates completed self-report measures. Results showed that 4.4% and 5.8% participants had anxiety and depression symptoms (⩾10), respectively, while 13.3% developed posttraumatic growth (⩾37.5). Resilience and meaning in life mediated the relationships between PIC and mental health outcomes. These findings underline psychological distress and growth coexisted in COVID-19, while resilience and meaning in life served as important protective factors of mental health.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

COVID-19 among Chinese high school graduates: Psychological distress, growth, meaning in life and resilience

2021

J Health Psychol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…A greater tendency toward meaning in life is linked to decreased existential distress by facilitating healthier recovery from life threatening illness (Zhong et al., 2019). Although the herdsmen attack has been identified as an event that is capable of shattering survivors' assumptions about the self and the world, finding meaning in life in this situation has been found to contribute to cushioning the effect of the attack on their psychological wellbeing by facilitating growth and resilience (Aliche et al., 2019). The meaning‐making processes following the attack might lead towards a deeper reflection on the event, the losses, the gains, and the willingness to reconcile them in a way that positive lessons can be articulated and individuals' life goals pursued.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Scores are rated on a 3‐point scale (ranging from 1 = rarely or almost none of the time to 3 = most or all of the time ) with total score ranging from 11–33. The scale has demonstrated good internal consistency ( a = 0.85) among Nigerian population (Aliche et al., 2019). In the present study, the internal consistency was 0.81.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Added to the above, results of correlational studies have corroborated the above findings on the beneficial effects of mindfulness in PTSD and reduction of depression symptoms (Boelen & Lenferink, 2018; Martin, Bartlett, Reddy, Gonzalez, & Vujanovic, 2018; Stanley et al., 2019) (e.g., Aliche & Onyishi, 2019; Desrosiers et al., 2013) among survivors of various kinds of traumatic events. These studies suggest that when survivors are more mindful, they are more able to re‐construe and reappraise the traumatic events in such a manner that positive gains will be articulated and some personally relevant meaning will be made out of the situation (Aliche & Onyishi, 2019; Garland et al., 2011). Therefore, understanding the processes through which mindfulness affects PTSD and depressive symptoms can benefit the development of intervention programmes targeting traumatised populations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Empirically, finding meaning in life has been associated to increased positive emotions such as happiness and well‐being, including awareness of social support, health‐promoting behaviour, and a sense of identity (Psarra & Kleftaras, 2013; Winger, Adams, & Mosher, 2016). Meaning‐making also aids the enhancement of hope (Mascaro & Rosen, 2005) and facilitates positive adjustment to traumatic experiences (Aliche, Ifeagwazi, Onyishi & Mefoh, 2019). Trauma survivors who cannot find meaning very often tend to seek psychological care services (Fontana & Rosenheck, 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Post‐traumatic stress disorder and depressive symptoms following a Herdsmen attack: The role of life meaning in mediating trait mindfulness

et al. 2020

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

It is well established that mindfulness is beneficial in decreasing post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression symptoms, but the explanatory pathway and processes through which this happens are still not clear. The present study investigated two mediation models that explored the psychological process of presence of meaning in life as a mechanism connecting mindfulness to reduced PTSD and depressive symptoms in survivors of a violent attack. A sample of 577 survivors of the Fulani herdsmen attack completed relevant self‐report measures and the bootstrap method was used to test the models for direct, indirect and total effects. Results revealed that mindfulness was negatively associated to PTSD symptoms, and that this association was fully mediated by the ability to find meaning in life. Mindfulness was also indirectly associated to depression through a greater sense of meaning in life. The findings of this study suggest that the presence of meaning in life is the pathway through which mindfulness alleviates PTSD and depression symptoms, and could therefore serve as an intervention target to decrease such negative outcomes in trauma survivors.

show abstract

Gratitude and internalizing/externalizing symptoms among adolescents after the Wenchuan earthquake: Mediating roles of social support and resilience

Wang

Chen

Zhai

et al. 2022

Journal of Adolescence

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Introduction Adolescents are susceptible to exhibiting internalizing and externalizing symptoms following natural disasters. However, little is known regarding factors that may influence these symptoms from the perspective of positive psychology. The current study examined whether and how social support and resilience mediated the association between gratitude and adolescents' internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Method The participants were 765 Chinese adolescents exposed to the Wenchuan earthquake (41.8% male, mean age 17.46 years), who were enrolled in a three‐wave longitudinal study with data spanning 1 year. All adolescents completed self‐report questionnaires on gratitude at 18 months postearthquake (T18m), social support and resilience at 24 months (T24m), and internalizing and externalizing symptoms at 18 months (T18m) and 30 months (T30m). Results The results showed that social support (T24m) and resilience (T24m) serially mediate the relationship between gratitude (T18m) and internalizing (β = −.003, 95% confidence interval [CI]= −0.006, −0.001) or externalizing (T30m) symptoms (β = −.004, 95% CI= −0.004, −0.001). Social support (T24m) acts as a mediator only between gratitude (T18m) and internalizing symptoms (T30m) (β = −.021, 95% CI = −0.044, −0.004), while not being a significant predictor for externalizing symptoms (T30m). Conclusion By highlighting the mechanisms by which gratitude longitudinally attenuates adolescents' internalizing, externalizing, and total symptoms, our findings may provide clinical practitioners with important information regarding intervention design.

show abstract

Presence of Meaning in Life Mediates the Relations Between Social Support, Posttraumatic Growth, and Resilience in Young Adult Survivors of a Terror Attack

Cited by 21 publications

References 27 publications

COVID-19 among Chinese high school graduates: Psychological distress, growth, meaning in life and resilience

COVID-19 among Chinese high school graduates: Psychological distress, growth, meaning in life and resilience

Post‐traumatic stress disorder and depressive symptoms following a Herdsmen attack: The role of life meaning in mediating trait mindfulness

Gratitude and internalizing/externalizing symptoms among adolescents after the Wenchuan earthquake: Mediating roles of social support and resilience

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About