Meaning in life as a mechanism between perceived posttraumatic growth and subsequent mental health in OEF/OIF/OND military veterans

ABSTRACT

Meaning making efforts, such as perceiving posttraumatic growth (PPTG), may relate to mental health (MH), especially when creating meaning in life (MIL). We tested this assertion using mediation analyses to see whether PPTG leads to subsequent MH through MIL and if PPTG leads to increased MIL, which predicts increased MH. 402 Post-9/11 military veterans were assessed at baseline, 6 months (T2), and 12 months (T3) later. PPTG predicted subsequent MH, effects entirely mediated by T2 MIL. PPTG also predicted increased T2 MIL but not increased T3 MH, although increased T2 MIL led to increased T3 MH. Findings suggest a stable association between PPTG and MH, an effect fully mediated by MIL. Further, PPTG relates to subsequent MH only when resulting in increased MIL. Future research examining meaning making in studies of PPTG is needed to better understand the conditions under which PPTG is adaptive.

KEYWORDS:

• Post-9/11 veterans
• posttraumatic growth
• meaning in life
• mental quality of life
• meaning making
• veterans
• mental health
• PTSD

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, CLP, upon reasonable request.