Life Meaning, Mental Health and Well-being in Adults: What Relationships?

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Published: Aug 8, 2021
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17060/ijodaep.2021.n1.v2.2110
Keywords:
life meaning mental health well-being

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Raquel Santos
Universidade Fernando Pessoa. Porto
Carla Fonte
Universidade Fernando Pessoa. Porto
Cristina Pimentão
Universidade Fernando Pessoa. Porto

Abstract

Discovering the meaning of life is a concern of the human being that has always existed, being considered an object of study and the focus of various reflections and theories. Philosophers like Aristotle and Epicurus stated that the meaning of life is to achieve true happiness, reflecting the need to give meaning to life is currently considered one of the components of mental health and well-being. In this context, a study is presented whose objective was to analyze the relationship of human existence. Initially the investigation of the meaning of life, when trying to understand the individual’s search for a meaning, followed at an existential approach, and at the end of the 20th century, when the emergence of Positive Psychology emerges a greater investment and knowledge by the scientific community around these issues, the meaning of life hss being considered one of the components of well-being. A study is presented that aimed to analyze the relationship between the meaning of life, mental health and well-being in a sample of 247 adults, aged between 18 and 69 years. Data were collected using the Meaning of Life Questionnaire and the Mental Health Continuum Scale. The results indicated that individuals with high levels of presence of meaning of life had equally high levels of wellbeing, while, in turn, individuals with high levels of searging for life meaning, had lower levels of well-being, underlining the strong relationship between these two dimensions.

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How to Cite
Santos, R., Fonte, C., & Pimentão, C. (2021). Life Meaning, Mental Health and Well-being in Adults: What Relationships?. International Journal of Developmental and Educational Psychology. Revista INFAD De Psicología., 2(1), 315–326. https://doi.org/10.17060/ijodaep.2021.n1.v2.2110
Issue
Vol. 2 No. 1 (2021): PSYCHOLOGY AND POSITIVE GROWTH. COPING WITH THE DIFFICULTY IN A MATURE WAY: THE RESPONSE TO COVID 19
Section
Articles
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