Resource Tag: MEANING IN LIFE

‘The meaning of death’ is a collection of essays on various aspects of death from various perspectives by acclaimed contributors including psychologists, psychiatrists, philosophers, anthropologists, health practioners, artists and sociologists. This book serves the purpose of a worthwhile introductory text for a beginner, since it covers most ground & equips the reader with tools to […]

This qualitative study explored the salience of spirituality in the lives of suicidally-bereaved individuals. Eleven bereaved individuals and four mental health workers were interviewed in depth on their subjective experience of suicide bereavement and on their experience of working with suicide bereavement, respectively. The suicide of a loved one had a significant impact on their […]

The present study investigated the relationship between purpose in life, hope, coping, and spiritual sensitivity among a sample of 166 first year psychology students. Family support and hopefulness predicted strong purpose in life. Inward sensitivity, together with agency thinking as part of hopefulness, notably increased the predictive variance of strong purpose in life. Positive correlations […]

Suicide is a problem of widespread concern and research into protective factors is needed. Meaning in life may be protective, but it is not directly modifiable. We examine gratitude and grit as two factors that synergistically buffer suicide through increased meaning in life. We find that grit and gratitude indirectly buffer suicide over time through […]

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Article also published in Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior. (2015). 45(4):399-414.

The death of a family member or close friend to suicide is a devastating life event. While research has suggested that suicide survivors may benefit from participation in support groups, little has been done to identify those elements of the experience of suicide survivorship that are impacted by grief support groups. This phenomenological inquiry of […]

This study measured hopelessness & hopefulness in Pakistani adolescents. Translated versions (into Urdu) of the Beck Hopelessness Scale & the Life Orientation Test were administered to 723 adolescents & young adults. For the Urdu Beck Hopelessness Scale, all item-total correlation coefficients were significant & yielded a single component. The principal component analysis on the Urdu […]

In a recent paper, Daly, Wilson, & Johnson (2007) proposed using data on suicide as a revealed preferences (outcome-based) measure of well-being & found strong evidence that reference-group income negatively affected suicide risk. In this paper, the authors compare & contrast the empirical patterns of subjective well-being & suicide data. It was found the two […]

The aim of this study was to interpret the lived experience of hope in some patients hospitalized for intentional self-harm. 12 persons that had engaged in suicidal behaviour by overdosing on medications were interviewed shortly after hospitalization & asked to narrate about their hopes. Transcripts were analyzed using a phenomenological hermeneutic method inspired by Ricouer’s […]

This study examines differences in suicide ideation & psychological variables by gender, compared the contribution of demographic-behavioural variables & psychosocial variables in explaining the variance in suicide ideation, & identified the most important predictors of suicide ideation by gender in a sample of 501 Korean adolescents. Suicide ideation differed by gender as did depression & […]

This study examined the role of purpose in life & satisfaction with life in protecting against suicide in a clinical sample of 49 psychiatric patients. Zero-order correlations indicated significant associations between suicide ideation & the various predictors in the hypothesized directions. Regression analyses illustrated that purpose in life & satisfaction with life accounted for significant […]

This study examined associations between objective & subjective social support & suicide ideation in older adults receiving home healthcare services. 522 older adults, 65 years & older, were assessed. In bivariate analysis, neither objectively determined size of social network nor instrumental support was associated with suicide ideation. Lower social interaction patterns & lower perceived social […]

This study examined the association of variables from survey data on well-being with suicide rates & other markers of population mental health in Europe. An ecological study correlated life satisfaction & happiness in 32 countries with suicide rates, rates of hospital discharge for mental & behavioural disorders, & prevalence of mental disorders based on registered […]

The effects of suicide films on recipients’ emotional & mental states, as well as the influence of censorship, was studied. 154 nonsuicidal Austrian subjects watched the original or a censored version of a suicide film or a drama without suicide. Data were collected by questionnaires. The viewing led to a deterioration of mood & an […]

This study documents a paradox: the happiest places have the highest suicide rates. The study combines findings from 2 large & rich individual-level data sets – one on life satisfaction & another on suicide deaths – to establish the paradox in a consistent way across American states. It replicates the finding in data on Western […]

127 university students were administered Crumbaugh & Maholick’s (1981) Purpose in Life Test as a measure of meaningless versus existential meaning; Beck, Weissman, Lester, & Trexler’s (1974) Hopelessness Scale as a measure of hopelessness versus hope; & Farmer & Sundberg’s (1986) Boredom Proneness Scale as a measure of boredom versus interest. Among the findings that […]

The author begins this study by examining the recent rise in suicide in Japan & the most common public explanations given for this. Cases of Internet suicide pacts are then examined, placing them within the context of suicide in Japan in general, & providing a representative selection of ethnographic findings from Japanese suicide-related websites. Findings […]

This study examined the validity of the Collet-Lester Fear of Death Scale & compared death anxiety, suicide ideation, & satisfaction in life in male & female students at Ahwaz Islamic Azad University (Iran). The research samples consisted of 200 students for the scale validity testing & 400 students for the hypothesis testing. Results showed acceptable […]

In this presentation, the speaker gives his opinions about the problem of the sense of life & the question of euthanasia. He discusses patients who want the therapist to tell them what he or she actually considers the sense of life, stating that this is a dilemma for the elderly & young alike.

This editorial discusses how to help individuals, particularly those who are suicidal, in finding meaning in their lives. A present orientation helps individuals understand their life experiences in a more meaningful way. Interventions are targetted around identifying holistic practices that bring together past & present circumstances, building connection to both the inner self & to […]

A single misfortune may be seen as just that or may be interpreted as Zeno the Stoic did, as a sign of cosmic proportion(zenoizing) which paradoxically provides a missing meaning structure. This article presents two studies testing this new variable. Study One explored the moderating effects of religiosity & gender on zenoism, depression, demoralization, & […]

Life meaning & coping strategies were studied as statistical predictors of suicidal manifestations in 298 undergraduates. Participants completed measures of hopelessness, sense of coherence, purpose in life, coping for stressful situations, suicide ideation, prior suicide attempts, & self-reported likelihood of future suicidal behaviour. Moderated multiple regression techniques examined the incremental life meaning by coping interactions […]