ArticleInternational journal of behavioral medicine2011
Meaning in life: is it a protective factor for adolescents' psychological health?
Article in International journal of behavioral medicine, 2011. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 62 papers.
What it found
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Who cites it
62 citing papers in PubMed.
- Beyond the offense: clinical correlates of repeated incarceration among justice-involved male adolescents with substance use disorder.Child and adolescent psychiatry and mental health · 2026Article
- The Mediating Role of Emotion Dysregulation and Hopelessness in the Association Between Attachment and Meaning in Life.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Positive parenting style and academic burnout in physical education teacher education students: a chain mediating model of physical activity and meaning in life.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Core self-evaluation and school disengagement in early adolescence: a three-wave longitudinal network analysis.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Physical education and sports teacher candidates' perspectives on meaning in life and smartphone addiction: a mixed-method study.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Mental health and meaning in modern life among young adults in Norway.Discover mental health · 2025Article
- Exploring the ongoing important role of meaning in life on young people's mental health: a population-based study of the moderated mediation model.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Camp as a Facilitator for Positive Childhood Experiences for Children and Youth with Serious Healthcare Needs: A Rapid Review.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- The relationship between problematic mobile phone use and meaning in life among adolescents: a latent profile analyses.BMC psychology · 2025Article
- What is life worth living for? A systematic review on meaning in life and meaning in work as protective factors for healthcare professionals' wellbeing.Health psychology report · 2025Review
- "Meaninglessness makes me unhappy": examining the role of a sense of alienation and life satisfaction in the relationship between the presence of meaning and depression among Chinese high school seniors.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Article
- Caregiver interactions, perceived control, and meaning in life of elderly: the moderating effect of the elderly-to-social worker ratio.BMC geriatrics · 2024Article
- Transcendental Awe of God and Dimensions of Well-Being: Exploring the Mediating Role of Meaning in Life.Journal of religion, spirituality & aging · 2024Article
- Everyone is searching for it and those who acquired it enjoy better mental health: a latent profile analysis of Chinese adolescents' meaning in life.Frontiers in psychology · 2024Article
- Meaning in life among nursing students: a latent profile analysis.BMC nursing · 2023Article
- Protection and Connection: Negating Depression and Suicidality among Bullied, LGBTQ Youth.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- Nature-Based Therapy in Individuals with Mental Health Disorders, with a Focus on Mental Well-Being and Connectedness to Nature-A Pilot Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- Online Gaming Addiction and Basic Psychological Needs Among Adolescents: The Mediating Roles of Meaning in Life and Responsibility.International journal of mental health and addiction · 2023Article
- A pathway to greater meaning in life and well-being for senior executives beset by anti-meaning.Frontiers in psychology · 2023Article
- Skipping Breakfast and Eating Breakfast Away From Home Were Prospectively Associated With Emotional and Behavioral Problems in 115,217 Chinese Adolescents.Journal of epidemiology · 2022Article
2 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundSearching for a coherent meaning in life has long been proposed to be a protective factor in adolescent development. PURPOSE: The present study aimed to examine meaning in life as a protective factor in a largely unstudied population: Romanian adolescents. Additionally, we sought to provide a novel, multidimensional assessment of several health-related variables (substance abuse, health risk behaviors, psychological health). Potential gender differences were explored regarding the role of life meaning in adolescent health.
methodData were collected in 2006 from students enrolled in the secondary schools of the Middle Transylvanian Region, Romania (n = 1,977). Self-administered questionnaires were used as a method of data collection including items of life meaning and psychological health.
resultsMeaning in life played a protective role with regard to health risk behaviors except smoking and binge drinking. Among males, meaning in life was found to be correlated only to illicit drug and sedative use, whereas among females, meaning in life was associated with binge drinking, unsafe sex, and lack of exercise and diet control. Psychological health was strongly related to meaning in life.
conclusionIn Romanian adolescents, meaning in life is a protective factor against health risk behaviors and poor psychological health.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.