ArticlePLOS mental health2024
Finding meaning in chronic illness and its relationship to psychological well-being: A mixed-methods study.
Article in PLOS mental health, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Quality of life and psychological wellbeing of adults with anaphylaxis: a mixed method systematic review.Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation · 2026Pooled it
- Factors associated with sense of coherence in patients with malignant tumors: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Pooled it
- Companion Value Co-Creation and Well-Being in Older Adults with Chronic Illness: A Cross-Sectional Dyadic Study in Spain.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Disease management experiences of parents of children with ADHD: a qualitative directed content analysis.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Living Through Acute Helplessness and Ongoing Recovery: A Phenomenological Study of Patients with Guillain-Barré Syndrome Undergoing Therapeutic Plasma Exchange.Patient preference and adherence · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Several theories propose that health-related adversity threatens an individual's worldviews, goals, and sense of purpose, which motivates them to search for meaning. This process is believed to lead to positive adjustment and personal growth. The purpose of our study was to (a) examine whether a health-related adversity motivated a search for meaning, (b) explore the ways individuals made sense of their health-related adversity, and (c) examine whether meaning making was related to acceptance, subjective well-being (positive affect, negative affect, satisfaction with life), and posttraumatic growth (PTG). Using a mixed-methods design, we collected data from 317 adults diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Participants completed a survey online. The survey included a set of validated measures that assessed acceptance, psychological adjustment, and PTG, as well as several open-ended questions. Approximately 85% of participants reported asking why me? Of those who reported that they found meaning, our thematic analysis revealed five meaning-making themes: catalyst for personal growth, self-blame, divine intervention, genetics, and chance. Our profile analysis compared three meaning-making groups (i.e., found meaning, still searching, found no meaning/not searching) and revealed that individuals who found meaning reported more positive affect and perceived more PTG than individuals still searching or who had not found meaning. Our data support theories of growth that suggest meaning making plays an important role in adjusting to adversity. We discuss cognitive and narrative-type therapeutic approaches that rehabilitation counselors could apply when supporting individuals coping with chronic illnesses.
Identifiers
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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.