Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Existential Attitudes and Eastern European Adolescents’ Problem and Health Behaviors: Highlighting the Role of the Search for Meaning in Life

  • Article
  • Published:
The Psychological Record Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Although the role of existential attitudes in adolescent health-related behavior has received increased attention recently, historically it has been underinvestigated in the field. The present study focuses on existential attitudes related to meaning in life and hopelessness. Relations of presence of meaning, search for meaning, and hopelessness with past and anticipated future involvement in problem- and health-enhancing behaviors were examined in a cross-sectional study of Eastern European (Transylvania, Romania) adolescents (N = 426, 42.1% males; M age = 16.5 year, range 15–18 years). Results indicated that these existential variables were significantly related to higher levels of healthy behaviors and lower levels of problem behaviors (hopelessness inversely). Among these existential factors, the search for meaning in life was the most significant contributor factor for adolescent behavior. As an overall conclusion, results point to the significant role that the search for meaning in life may play in the relation with adolescents’ problem and health behaviors.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • ABUSABHA, R., & ACHTERBERG, C. (1997). Review of self-efficacy and locus of control for nutrition- and health-related behavior. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 97, 1122–1132.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • AL-YAGON, M., & MARGALIT, M. (2006). Loneliness, sense of coherence and perception of teachers as a secure base among children with reading difficulties. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 21, 21–37.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • BAUMEISTER, R. F. (1991). Meanings of life. New York, NY: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • BECK, A. T. (1963). Thinking and depression. 1. Idiosyncratic content and cognitive distortions. Archives of General Psychiatry, 9, 324–333.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • BERMAN, S. L., WEEMS, C. F., & STICKLE, T. R. (2006). Existential anxiety in adolescents: Prevalence, structure, association with psychological symptoms and identity. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 35, 303–310.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • BOLLAND, J. M. (2003). Hopelessness and risk behavior among adolescents living in high-poverty inner-city neighborhoods. Journal of Adolescence, 26, 145–158.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • BRACK, C. J., BRACK, G., & ORR, D. P. (1994). Dimensions underlying problem behaviors, emotions, and related psychosocial factors in early and middle adolescents. Journal of Early Adolescence, 14, 345–370.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • BRASSAI, L., PIKO, B. F., & STEGER, M. F. (2011). Meaning in life: Is it a protective factor for adolescents’ psychological health? International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 18, 44–51.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • BRONIKOWSKI, M., & BRONIKOWSKA, M. (2009). Salutogenesis as a framework for improving health resources of adolescent boys. Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, 7, 525–531.

    Google Scholar 

  • BRONK, K. C., HILL, P. L., LAPSLEY, D. K., TALIB, T. L., & FINCH, H. (2009). Purpose, hope, and life satisfaction in three age groups. Journal of Positive Psychology, 4, 500–510.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • BURROW, A. L., & HILL, P. L. (2011). Purpose as a form of identity capital for positive youth adjustment. Developmental Psychology, 47, 1196–1206.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • COHEN, K., & CAIRNS, D. (2012). Is searching for meaning in life associated with reduced subjective well-being? Confirmation and possible moderators. Journal of Happiness Studies, 13, 313–331.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DAMON, W., MENON, J., & BRONK, K. C. (2003). The development of purpose during adolescence. Applied Developmental Sciences, 7, 119–128.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DEVOGLER, K. L., & EBERSOLE, P. (1983). Young adolescents’ meaning in life. Psychological Reports, 52, 427–431.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DEWITZ, S. J. (2005). Exploring the relationship between self-efficacy and purpose in life. Dissertation Abstracts International: Section B: The Sciences and Engineering, 65(10-B), 5450.

    Google Scholar 

  • DUNCAN, S. C., DUNCAN, T. E., & STRYCKER, L. A. (2000). Risk and protective factors influencing adolescent problem behavior: A multivariate latent growth curve analysis. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 22, 103–109.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • DURANT, R. H., CADENHEAD, C., PENDERGRAST, R. A., SLAVENS, G., & LINDER, C. W. (1994). Factors associated with the use of violence among urban black adolescents. American Journal of Public Health, 84, 612–617.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • EMMONS, R. A. (2003). Personal goals, life meaning, and virtue: Wellsprings of a positive life. In C. L. Keyes & J. Haidt (Eds.), Flourishing: Positive psychology and the life well-1ived (pp. 105–128). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • ERIKSON, E. H. (1968). Identity: Youth and crisis. New York, NY: Norton.

    Google Scholar 

  • FITZGERALD, B. (2005). An existential view of adolescent development. Adolescence, 40, 793–799.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • FJELLAND, J. E., BARRON, C. R., & FOXALL, M. A. (2008). A review of instruments measuring two aspects of meaning: Search for meaning and meaning in illness. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 62, 394–406.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • FRANKL, V. E. (1963). Man’s search for meaning: An introduction to logotherapy. New York, NY: Pocket Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • FROMME, K., KATZ, E. C., & D’AMICO, K. (2000). Effects of outcome expectancies and personality on young adults’ illicit drug use, heavy drinking, and risky sexual behavior. CARE-R, Cognitive Appraisal of Risky Events-Revised. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 24, 1–22.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • FRY, P. M. (1998). The development of personal meaning and wisdom in adolescence: A reexamination of moderating and consolidating factor and influences. In P. T. P. Wong & P. M. Fry (Eds.), The human quest for meaning: A handbook of psychological research and clinical application (pp. 91–110). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • GREAVES, G. (1974). Toward an existential theory of drug-dependence. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 159, 263–274.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • GRYGIELSKI, M. (1984). Meaning in life and hopelessness: Interrelationships and intergroup differences. Polish Psychological Bulletin, 5, 277–284.

    Google Scholar 

  • HACKER, D. (1994). An existential view of adolescence. Journal of Early Adolescence, 14, 300–328.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • HALAMA, P. (2000). Dimensions of life meaning as factor of coping. Studia Psychologica, 42, 339–350.

    Google Scholar 

  • HARLOW, L. L., NEWCOMB, M. D., & BENTLER, P. M. (1986). Depression, self-derogation, substance use, and suicide ideation: Lack of purpose in life as a mediational factor. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 42, 5–21.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • HO, M. Y., CHEUNG, F. M., & CHEUNG, S. F. (2010). The role of meaning in life and optimism in promoting well-being. Personality and Individual Differences, 48, 658–663.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • HUTZELL, R., & FINCK, W. (1994). Adapting the Life Purpose. Questionnaire for use with adolescent populations. International Forum for Logotherapy, 77, 42–46.

    Google Scholar 

  • JESSOR, R., COSTA, F. M., & TURBIN, M. S. (2003). Survey of personal and social development. Boulder: Colorado University, Institute of Behavioral Science.

    Google Scholar 

  • KEGAN, R. (1982). The evolving self: Problem and process in human development. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • KIANG, L., & FULIGNI, A. J. (2010). Meaning in life as a mediator of ethnic identity and adjustment among adolescents from Latin Asian and European American backgrounds. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 39, 1253–1264.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • KIM, T. H., LEE, S. M., SEUNGKOOK, K. Y., & PUIG, L. A. (2005). Hope and the meaning of life as influences on Korean adolescents’ resilience: Implications for counselors. Asia Pacific Education Review, 6, 143–152.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • KING, L. A., & HICKS, J. A. (2006). Narrating the self in the past and the future: Implications for maturity. Research in Human Development, 3, 121–138.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • KINNIER, R. T., METHA, A. T., OKEY, J. L., & KEIM, J. (1994). Adolescent substance abuse and psychological health. Journal of Alcohol and Drug Education, 40, 51–56.

    Google Scholar 

  • KLINGER, E. (1998). The search for meaning in evolutionary perspective and its clinical implications. In P. T. P. Wong & P. S. Fry (Eds.), The human quest for meaning: A handbook of psychological research and clinical application (pp. 27–50). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • KUUPPELOMÄKIA, M., & UTRIAINEN, P. (2003). A 3 year follow-up study of health care students’ sense of coherence and related smoking drinking and physical exercise factors. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 40, 383–388.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • LESTER, D. (2001). An inventory to measure helplessness, hopelessness, haplessness. Psychological Reports, 89, 495–498.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • LESTER, D., & WALKER R. L. (2007). Helplessness, hopelessness, and haplessness as predictors of suicidal ideation. Omega, 55, 321–324.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • LITTLE, B. R., SALMELA-ARO, K., & PHILLIPS, S. D. (2006). Personal project pursuit: Goals, action, and human flourishing. Mahwah, NJ: Elbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • LUYCKX, K., SCHWARTZ, S. J., GOOSSENS, L., SOENENS, B., & BEYERS, W. (2008). Developmental typologies of identity formation and adjustment in female emerging adults: A latent class growth analysis approach. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 18, 595–619.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • MAGGS, J. L., ALMEIDA, D. M., & GALAMBOS, N. L. (1995). Risky business: The paradoxical meaning of problem. Journal of Early Adolescence, 15, 344–362.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • MARCIA, J. E. (1966). Development and validation of ego identity status. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 3, 551–558.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • MEEUS, W. (1996). Studies on identity development in adolescence: An overview of research and some new data. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 25, 569–598.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • NEWCOMB, M. D., & HARLOW, L. L. (1986). Life events and substance use among adolescents: Mediating effects of perceived loss of control and meaninglessness in life. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51, 564–577.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • NICHOLSON, T., HIGGINS, W., TURNER, P., JAMES, S., STICKLE, F., & PRUITT, T. (1994). The relation between meaning in life and the occurrence of drug abuse: A retrospective study. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 8, 24–28.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • ÖZTEKIN, C., & TEZER, E. (2009). The role of sense of coherence and psychical activity in positive and negative affect of Turkish adolescents. Adolescence, 44, 421–432.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • PADELFORD, B. L. (1974). Relationship between drug involvement and purpose in life. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 30, 303–305.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • PAGER, E. (1996). Exploring personal meaning in an age-differentiated Australian sample. Another look at the Sources of Meaning Profile (SOMP). Journal of Aging Studies, 10, 117–136.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • PARK, N., PARK, M., & PETERSON, C. (2010). When is the search for meaning related to life satisfaction? Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being, 2, 1–13.

    Google Scholar 

  • PASUPATHI, M., STAUDINGER, U. M., & BALTES, P. B. (2001). Seeds of wisdom: Adolescents’ knowledge and judgment about difficult life problems. Developmental Psychology, 37, 351–361.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • PHILLIPS, W. M. (1980). Purpose in life, depression, and locus of control. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 36, 661–667.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • RATHI, N., & RASTOGI, R. (2007). Meaning in life and psychological well-being in preadolescents and adolescents. Journal of the Indian Academy of Applied Psychology, 33, 31–38.

    Google Scholar 

  • REITZ, E., DEKOVIC, M., & MEIJER, A. M. (2005). The structure and stability of externalizing and internalizing problem behavior during early adolescence. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 34, 577–588.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • RYFF, C. D., & SINGER, B. (1998). The contours of positive human health. Psychological Inquiry, 9, 1–28.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • SAYLES, M. L. (1994). Adolescents’ purpose in life and engagement in risky behaviors: Differences by gender and ethnicity. Dissertation Abstracts International-A, 55(09), 2727.

    Google Scholar 

  • SCHAEFER, J. A., & MOOS, R. H. (1992). Life crisis and personal growth. In B. N. Carpenter (Ed.), Personal coping: Theory, research, and application (pp. 149–170). Westport, CT: Praeger.

    Google Scholar 

  • SHEK, D. T. (1992). Meaning in life and psychological well-being: An empirical study using the Chinese version of the Purpose in Life Questionnaire. The Journal of Genetic Psychology, 153, 185–200.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • SHEK, D. T. (1993). Measurement of pessimism in Chinese adolescents: The Chinese Hopelessness Scale. Social Behavior & Personality, 21, 107–119.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • SHEK, D. T. (2001). Meaning in life and sense of mastery in Chinese adolescents with economic disadvantage. Psychological Reports, 88, 711–712.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • SHEK, D. T., MA, H. K., & CHEUNG, P. C. (1994). Meaning in life and adolescent antisocial and prosocial behavior in a Chinese context. Psychologia: An International Journal of Psychology in the Orient, 37, 211–218.

    Google Scholar 

  • SOLLERHED, A. C., EJLERTSSON, G., & APITZSCHE, E. (2005). Predictors of strong sense of coherence and positive attitudes to physical education in adolescents. Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, 33, 334–342.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • STEGER, M. F. (2009). Meaning in life. In S. J. Lopez (Ed.), Handbook of positive psychology (2nd ed., pp. 679–687). Oxford, England: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • STEGER, M. F., BUNDICK, M., & YEAGER, D. (2012). Understanding and promoting meaning in life during adolescence. In R. J. R. Levesque (Ed.), Encyclopedia of adolescence (pp. 1666–1677). New York, NY: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • STEGER, M. F., FRAZIER, P., OISHI, S., & KALER, M. (2006). The Meaning in Life Questionnaire: Assessing the presence of and search for meaning in life. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 53, 80–93.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • STEGER, M. F., KASHDAN, T. B., SULLIVAN, B. A., & LORENTZ, D. (2008). Understanding the search for meaning in life: Personality, cognitive style, and the dynamic between seeking and experiencing meaning. Journal of Personality, 28, 199–228.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • STEGER, M. F., KAWABATA, Y., SHIMAI, S., & OTAKE, K. (2008). The meaningful life in Japan and the United States: Levels and correlates of meaning in life. Journal of Research in Personality, 42, 660–678.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • STEGER, M. F., OISHI, S., & KASHDAN, T. B. (2009). Meaning in life across the life span: Levels and correlates of meaning in life from emerging adulthood to older adulthood. Journal of Positive Psychology, 4, 43–52.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • STEGER, M. F., OISHI, S., & KESEBIR, S. (2011). Is a life without meaning satisfying? The moderating role of the search for meaning in satisfaction with life judgments. Journal of Positive Psychology, 6, 173–180.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • WOLF, Y., OLENICK-SHEMSESH, D., ADDAD, M., GREEN, D., & WALTERS, J. (1995). Personal and situational factors in drug use as perceived by kibbutz youth. Adolescence, 30, 909–930.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Psychopedagogical Consulting Center, Covasna, Romania

    László Brassai

  2. Faculty of General Medicine, Department of Behavioral Sciences, University of Szeged, 6722, Szeged Szentháromság str. 5, Hungary

    Bettina F. Piko

  3. Colorado State University and North-West University, South Africa

    Michael F. Steger

Authors
  1. László Brassai
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Bettina F. Piko
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Michael F. Steger
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Bettina F. Piko.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Brassai, L., Piko, B.F. & Steger, M.F. Existential Attitudes and Eastern European Adolescents’ Problem and Health Behaviors: Highlighting the Role of the Search for Meaning in Life. Psychol Rec 62, 719–734 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03395831

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03395831

Keyword

Search

Navigation