Meaning in life, psychological well-being and mental health in Brazilian adults
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Currently, the meaning of life is considered as a driver of psychological well-being and significantly relevant to mental health. This positive psychological approach has increasingly made society and the academic community aware of the need to evaluate and investigate these concepts, in order to understand their implications. This study includes a sample of 431 subjects residing in the Federative Republic of Brazil, 100 male and 331 female. Using self report measures, through the application of questionnaires, our research correlated the concepts of meaning in life, psychological well being and mental health, also considering gender, age and personality characteristics. Through data analysis, we were able to understand that the search for meaning in life continues to be predominant in subjects, even though, in a significant sample, we found the statement that there already exists a clear purpose in life. As for psychological well-being, there are positive correlations between its factors and the presence of meaning in life, and it is negatively related to symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress. Regarding the effects of meaning in life and personality on mental health symptoms and psychological well being, it was possible to identify interesting predictors. Another relevant fact is the statistically significant differences between emerging adults and middle-aged adults in terms of the variables analyzed, with no important gender effect being recorded. We conclude that there is evidence that there continues to be a search for the meaning in life and that well-being and mental health are affected by it, therefore, it is up to us to analyze the causes and how these have implications for everyday life of Brazilian citizens. This issue appears as a warning in such a controversial time, post-covid and with the current occurrence of international war conflicts.
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