a Psychology Department in Wroclaw , SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities , Wroclaw , Poland.
b Department of Psychology , University of Connecticut , Storrs , CT , USA.
Health Psychol Rev. 2017 Dec;11(4):387-418. doi: 10.1080/17437199.2017.1327325. Epub 2017 May 29.
This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to clarify the associations between meaning in life and physical health using random-effects models. Conceptualisation of meaning (order in world vs. purpose in life), type of health indicators, participants' health status, and age issues were investigated as moderators. Systematic searches of six databases resulted in inclusion of k = 66 studies (total N = 73,546). Findings indicated that meaning in life and physical health formed weak-to-moderate associations (the overall estimate of the average effect = 0.258). Conceptualisation of meaning, participants' health status, and their age did not moderate these associations. Operationalisation of health moderated the relationship between meaning in life and health. The strongest associations were found for subjective indicators of physical health. Significant albeit weak associations between meaning in life and objective indices of health were found. Furthermore, stronger effects were observed when the measures of meaning combined items referring to meaning in life and meaning-related sense of harmony, peace, and well-being, compared to measures focusing solely on meaning in life. Overall, the results point to the potential role of meaning in life in explaining physical health.
本系统评价和荟萃分析旨在使用随机效应模型阐明生活意义与身体健康之间的关联。将生活意义的概念化（世界秩序与生活目的）、健康指标的类型、参与者的健康状况和年龄问题作为调节因素进行了探讨。通过对六个数据库的系统检索，纳入了 k=66 项研究（总 N=73546）。研究结果表明，生活意义与身体健康之间存在弱到中等程度的关联（平均效应的总体估计值为 0.258）。生活意义的概念化、参与者的健康状况及其年龄并未调节这些关联。健康的操作性定义调节了生活意义与健康之间的关系。在主观身体健康指标方面发现了最强的关联。在生活意义与身体健康的客观指标之间发现了虽弱但有意义的关联。此外，当生活意义的测量指标将生活意义和与意义相关的和谐、平静和幸福感的项目结合起来时，与仅关注生活意义的测量指标相比，观察到更强的影响。总体而言，这些结果表明生活意义在解释身体健康方面可能具有潜在作用。
