Understanding Latina/o Students’ Meaning in Life, Spirituality, and Subjective Happiness

2020

Background: Spirituality and spiritual health are important concepts among human societies, and the relation of these concepts to other scientific ones is important for health professionals. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between spiritual well-being and happiness among the students of health sciences of Guilan University of Medical Sciences. Methods: This is a cross-sectional and descriptive-analytic study carried out among 322 students through census sampling method. The Spiritual Health Questionnaire (SWBS) was made by Pulotsin and Ellison in 1982 and used to measure spiritual well-being. Oxford Happiness Questionnaire (OHI) was used to measure happiness designed in 2007 by Argyle. Validity and reliability of two questionnaires are higher than 0.90. Cronbach's alpha in each dimension of spiritual well-being and also happiness in the present study was higher than 0.7. Results : The mean and standard deviation of spiritual health were 55.82±4.71 an...

Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences

Positive psychology is a useful framework to understand Latina/o students' experiences. In the current study, we examined how presence of meaning in life, search for meaning in life, hope, and family importance influenced 128 Latina/o college students' psychological grit. We used the Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ), Subjective Happiness Scale, Hope Scale, Pan-Hispanic Familism Scale, and Short Grit Scale to measure the aforementioned factors. Using multiple regression analysis, findings indicated that hope and search for meaning in life were significant predictors of psychological grit. Higher levels of hope positively predicted psychological grit, while higher levels of search for meaning in life negatively predicted psychological grit. We provide a discussion regarding the importance of these findings as well as recommendations for future research.

This study used narrative inquiry to understand what spirituality and religiosity meant to Hispanic students attending a large, Midwestern university in the United States. The study consisted of interviews with 10 Hispanic students who discussed their spiritual and religious beliefs from childhood through college. Findings supported current literature that spirituality increases and religiosity decreases during college. However, after an initial decline in religiosity during the first year of college, participants reported a noteworthy increase shortly after college began. Secondly, students’ spiritual and religious beliefs were closely tied to their family, supporting research on familial centrality in Hispanic culture.

2018

The study investigated and analyzed the relationship between meaning in life and happiness among tertiary education students. It employed both the descriptive-survey and correlational methods. The respondents are composed of 247 junior and senior students during the AY 2017-2018. They were chosen using the convenience non-random sampling technique. Results disclosed that the respondents have both a high level of meaning in life and happiness and that the two variables are significantly correlated. Generally, the respondents are experiencing and pursuing a meaningful and a happy life. Also, a significant difference existed between the meaning in life and happiness among the respondents when grouped according to program. A parallel study may be undertaken with faculty and employees in higher education institutions as respondents. For future study, variables which influence the nonmeaningfulness and unhappiness of the participants may be included. The results may be used in designing a...

Journal of Professional & Applied Psychology

Previous research indicates that young adults experience an increase in life satisfaction when they have a meaning in life. The current study examined the association between meaning in life and satisfaction with life as well as the relationship between the search for meaning in life and life satisfaction. University undergraduates (N= 302) from Forman Christian College (A Chartered University-FCCU) filled out self-report measures. The analysis was conducted using demographical information, scores from Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ) and Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS). Pearson Product Moment Correlation Co-efficient indicated that Satisfaction with life increased when there was presence of meaning in life. Additionally, search for meaning increased when satisfaction with life decreased. Lastly, an independent samples t-test indicated no significant gender differences in meaning in life. The research helps to understand the variables in a Pakistani context since the prevalen...

Journal of Religion and Health

Spirituality and religiousness are important factors for adolescents wellbeing. Little is known about the mechanisms underlying the positive relationship between spirituality as well as religiousness and subjective wellbeing. This study aimed to verify, whether, in a sample of Chilean students, religiousness is indirectly related to hope through spiritual experiences, and whether spiritual experiences are indirectly related to subjective wellbeing via hope. The sample consisted of 177 Chilean students and the following measures were applied: the Daily Spiritual Experiences Scale, the Herth Hope Index, the Satisfaction With Life Scale, the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, and one item measuring the frequencies of prayer and Mass attendance. According to obtained results religiousness was indirectly, positively related to hope through spiritual experiences. In turn spiritual experiences were indirectly, positively related to subjective wellbeing through hope. Conducted research ...

International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology, 2020

Background/Objective: This study aimed to adapt the Personal Meaning Profile-Brief (PMP-B) to the Spanish-speaking population and investigate its psychometric properties. The PMP-B is a 21-item instrument that assesses meaning in life through seven sources: relationship, intimacy, achievement, self-acceptance, self-transcendence, fair treatment, and religion. Method: Participants were 546 Spanish adults comprised of a community sample (n = 171) and university students (n = 375). The PMP-B, the Ryff's Scales of Psychological Well-Being, and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale were administrated. Results: The PMP-B showed a bifactor structure with one general factor and seven subfactors. Measurement invariance was found across age, gender, and samples. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability were generally good. Older people showed higher PMP-B scores than younger people. The PMP-B scores, especially relational sources of meaning, were positively associated with psychological well-being and negatively related to psychological distress, mainly to depression. Conclusions: The validity evidence gathered in this study supports the reliable use of the PMP-B to measure meaning in life. The PMP-B can be a noteworthy contribution to the meaningcentered research.

The European Journal of Counselling Psychology, 2015

This paper analyzes the relationship between meaning in life and psychological well-being in a sample of 180 Spanish undergraduates (138 women, 76.7%; 42 men, 23.3%) aged 18-55, M = 22.91, SD = 6.71. Spanish versions of Crumbaugh and Maholic’s Purpose-In-Life Test and Ryff's Psychological Well-Being Scales were used. Analysis included descriptive statistics, the scales were tested for internal consistency, and correlations were analysed with simple linear regression. The results showed a significant relationship between meaning in life and psychological well-being dimensions, in terms of covariance and prediction, especially with global Psychological Well-Being, Self-Acceptation, Environmental Mastery, and Positive Relations. We conclude that the experience of meaning in life is important for psychological well-being.

Acta Colombiana de Psicologia, 2013

This study examines the predictive role of meaning in life and gender-specific differences on psychological well-being of 226 Spanish undergraduates (87 men, 38.5%; 139 women, 61.5%) ranging in age from 17 to 25 years, M = 21.08, SD = 2.18. Measures included both the Spanish adaptations of the Crumbaugh and Maholic's Purpose-In -Life Test and the Ryff's Scales of Psychological Well-Being. The hypothesis stated that meaning in life would predict psychological well-being and that women would reach a higher score in several dimensions of psychological well-being. Statistical analysis included simple linear regressions, and a t-test. Results showed that: (1) meaning in life was a significant predictor variable of psychological well-being, especially of global psychological well-being, self-acceptance, purpose in life, and environmental mastery; and (2) women reached a higher score, statistically significant, in global psychological well-being, environmental mastery, personal gro...

Data, 2020

Happiness-oriented people are vital in every society; this is a construct formed by three different types of happiness: pleasure, meaning, and engagement, and it is considered as an indicator of mental health. This study aims to provide data on the levels of orientation to happiness in higher-education teachers and students. The present paper contains data about the perception of this positive aspect in two Latin American countries, Mexico and El Salvador. Structure instruments to measure the orientation to happiness were administrated to 397 teachers and 260 students. This data descriptor presents descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation), internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha), and differences (Student’s t-test) presented by country, population (teacher/student), and gender of their orientation to happiness and its three dimensions: meaning, pleasure, and engagement. Stepwise-multiple-regression-analysis results are also presented. Results indicated that participants from...

Caspian Journal of Health Research, 2022

Background: spirituality is an important concept among human societies, and the relation of this concept to other human characteristics is important for health professionals. Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between spiritual well-being (SWB) and happiness among the students of health sciences in Guilan University of Medical Sciences (GUMS). Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional and descriptive-analytic study carried out among 322 students studying at school of health in GUMS, Iran. The Spiritual well-being scale and Oxford Happiness Questionnaire were used to measure SWB and happiness. Correlation coefficient and multivariate linear regression model were used to assess the association of SWB and happiness. Results: The mean and standard deviation of SWB and happiness were 55.82±4.71 and 60.88+-12.9, respectively. Spiritual health was significantly associated with age and marital status. There was strong correlation between cognitive dimension of spiritual health and welfare dimension (r=0.92, P=0.005) and positive mood dimension (r=0.90, P=0.007) of happiness. The adjusted model for age and marital status showed that satisfaction was significantly associated with SWB (β=0.66, P=0.02) Conclusion: the finding revealed a lower than mean value of happiness and SWB among students of health sciences. Satisfaction was the most important predictor of SWB.

Interamerican Journal of Psychology, 2014

How to cite Complete issue More information about this article Journal's homepage in redalyc.org Scientific Information System Network of Scientific Journals from Latin America, the Caribbean, Spain and Portugal Non-profit academic project, developed under the open access initiative

Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 2010

Establishing a sense of life meaning is a primary facet of well-being, yet is understudied in adolescent development. Using data from 579 adolescents (53% female) from Latin American, Asian, and European backgrounds, demographic differences in meaning in life, links with psychological and academic adjustment, and the role of meaning in explaining associations between ethnic identity and adjustment were examined. Although no generational or gender differences were found, Asian Americans reported higher search for meaning than Latin and European Americans. Presence of meaning was positively associated with self-esteem, academic adjustment, daily well-being, and ethnic belonging and exploration, whereas search for meaning was related to lower self-esteem and less stability in daily well-being. Presence of meaning mediated associations between ethnic identity and adjustment, explaining 28-52% of ethnic identity's protective effect on development. Ethnic identity thus appears to affect adjustment, in part, through its role in fostering a positive sense of meaning in adolescents' lives.

Caspian Journal of Health Research (CJHR), 2022

Background: Spirituality is an important concept among human societies, and the relation of this concept to other human characteristics is important for health professionals. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between Spiritual Well-Being (SWB) and happiness among the students of health sciences in Guilan University of Medical Sciences (GUMS). Materials & Methods: This was a cross-sectional and descriptive-analytic study carried out among 322 students studying at school of health in GUMS, Iran. The Spiritual well-being scale and Oxford Happiness Questionnaire were used to measure SWB and happiness. Correlation coefficient and multivariate linear regression model were used to assess the association of SWB and happiness. Results: The Mean±SD of SWB and happiness were 55.82±4.71 and 60.88±12.9, respectively. Spiritual health was significantly associated with age and marital status. There was strong correlation between cognitive dimension of spiritual health and welfare dimension (r=0.92, P=0.005) and positive mood dimension (r=0.90, P=0.007) of happiness. The adjusted model for age and marital status showed that satisfaction was significantly associated with SWB (β=0.66, P=0.02) Conclusion: The results revealed a lower than mean value of happiness and SWB among students of health sciences. Satisfaction was the most important predictor of SWB.

While some research has been done on acculturation within the Latino population and the significance of spirituality has been included in a number of studies, there is very little research exploring the influence of these two factors in the formation of identity and relationships to others. This is particularly salient in lives of university students, as it is a time of finding their own niche in society and making decisions that shape their future. This study explores the influence of culture and spirituality on the acceptance of self and relation to others among Latino university students. The findings supported the hypothesis that intrinsic spirituality influenced acceptance of self and relations to others, while acculturation and religious community involvement did not appear to have a significant impact. The shift of relational patterns, compared to other studies. In the general Latino population, the study illustrates the importance of creating a campus environment that provides community and acceptance through crossing cultural boundaries.