Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Dec;21(8):3037-3049.
doi: 10.1007/s10902-019-00212-9. Epub 2020 Jan 1.

Meaning in Life Predicts Decreased Depressive Symptoms and Increased Positive Affect over Time but Does Not Buffer Stress Effects in a National Sample of African-Americans

Crystal L Park  1 , Cheryl L Knott  2 , Randi M Williams  3 , Eddie M Clark  4 , Beverly Rosa Williams  5 , Emily Schulz  6
Affiliations

Meaning in Life Predicts Decreased Depressive Symptoms and Increased Positive Affect over Time but Does Not Buffer Stress Effects in a National Sample of African-Americans

Crystal L Park et al. J Happiness Stud. 2020 Dec.

Abstract

Few studies have specifically focused on meaning in life in African Americans and many important questions remain, including whether effects of meaning in life are direct or moderated by levels of stress. In a national sample of 909 African Americans, we tested meaning in life as a prospective predictor of changes in depressive symptoms and positive affect over a 2.5-year period. Controlling for demographics and hassles, meaning in life predicted decreased depressive symptoms and increased positive affect across the span of 2.5 years. Moderation effects were not found for hassles, age, or income. Gender moderated the effect of meaning on positive affect such that effects were stronger for women than for men. These results suggest that, for African Americans, meaning in life appears to robustly protect against future depressive symptoms and promote positive affect over time unaffected by amount of stress experienced or most demographic factors.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Role of Gender on Meaning in Life and Positive Affect.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Aiken LS, & West SG (1991). Multiple regression: Testing and interpreting interactions. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
    1. Ajibade A, Hook JN, Utsey SO, Davis DE, & Van Tongeren DR (2016). Racial/ethnic identity, religious commitment, and well-being in African Americans. Journal of Black Psychology, 42, 244–258.
    1. Blackmon SKM, Coyle LD, Davenport S, Owens AC, & Sparrow C (2016). Linking racial-ethnic socialization to culture and race-specific coping among African American college students. Journal of Black Psychology, 42, 549–576.
    1. Cavazos Vela J, Castro V, Cavazos L, Cavazos M, & Gonzalez SL (2015). Understanding Latina/o students’ meaning in life, spirituality, and subjective happiness. Journal of Hispanic Higher Education, 14, 171–184.
    1. Chae DH, Nuru-Jeter AM, Adler NE, Brody GH, Lin J, Blackburn EH, & Epel ES (2014). Discrimination, racial bias, and telomere length in African-American men. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 46, 103–111. - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources