Meaning Making and Psychological Adjustment following Cancer: The Mediating Roles of Growth, Life Meaning, and Restored Just-World Beliefs

Autor/inn/en	Park, Crystal L.; Edmondson, Donald; Fenster, Juliane R.; Blank, Thomas O.
Titel	Meaning Making and Psychological Adjustment following Cancer: The Mediating Roles of Growth, Life Meaning, and Restored Just-World Beliefs
Quelle	In: Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 76 (2008) 5, S.863-875 (13 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0022-006X
Schlagwörter	Cancer; Outcomes of Treatment; Positive Reinforcement; Quality of Life; Adjustment (to Environment); Path Analysis; Psychology; World Views; Hermeneutics + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Carcinoma; Karzinom; Krebs (med); Krebserkrankung; Lebensqualität; Pfadanalyse; Psychologie; World view; Weltanschauung; Hermeneutik
Abstract	Cancer survivors' efforts at meaning making may influence the extent to which they successfully make meaning from their experience (i.e., experience posttraumatic growth, find life meaningful, and restore beliefs in a just world), which may, in turn, influence their psychological adjustment. Previous research regarding both meaning making processes and meanings made as determinants of adjustment has shown inconsistent effects, partly because of the lack of clearly articulated theoretical frameworks and problematic research strategies. In a 1-year longitudinal study, the authors distinguished the meaning making process from the outcomes of that process (meanings made), employing specific measures of both. The authors tested pathways through which meaning making efforts led to 3 different meanings made (growth, life meaning, and restored just-world belief) in a sample of 172 young to middle-age adult cancer survivors, and they explored whether those meanings made mediated the effect of meaning making efforts on psychological adjustment. Cross-sectional and longitudinal path models of the meaning making process indicate that meaning making efforts are related to better adjustment through the successful creation of adaptive meanings made from the cancer experience. The authors conclude with clinical implications and suggestions for future research. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10