رابطه ساختاری پریشانی روانشناختی و معنای زندگی در مردان با واسطه گری احساس تنهایی (مقاله علمی وزارت علوم)
درجه علمی: نشریه علمی (وزارت علوم)
آرشیو
چکیده
اگرچه مطالعات ارتباط دوطرفه ای را از داشتن معنا در زندگی و پریشانی روانشناختی گزارش کرده اند، عوامل مختلفی وجود دارند که می توانند در روند پریشانی و داشتن معنا در زندگی مردان تأثیر بگذارند؛ به همین سبب، شناسایی این عامل ها برای کاهش پریشانی روانشناختی و جلوگیری از پدیده خودکشی در مردان بسیار مهم است؛ از این رو، مطالعه حاضر با هدف بررسی رابطه ساختاری پریشانی روانشناختی و معنای زندگی با واسطه گری احساس تنهایی در مردان انجام شد. طرح پژوهشی توصیفی همبستگی و به شیوه معادلات ساختاری بود. جامعه آماری پژوهش شامل مردان در شهر تبریز بودند که ۲۳۶ نفر از مردان براساس نظر کلاین و به روش نمونه گیری دردسترس انتخاب شدند. ابزارهای به کاررفته در این پژوهش شامل پرسشنامه های احساس تنهایی اجتماعی عاطفی برای بزرگسالان، معنای زندگی و پریشانی روانشناختی است. برای تحلیل داده ها از ضریب همبستگی پیرسون و روش معادلات ساختاری استفاده شد. نتایج الگوسازی معادلات ساختاری نشان دادند پریشانی روانشناختی به طور معنادار اثر مستقیم بر داشتن معنا در زندگی و احساس تنهایی دارند. همچنین، تنهایی هم به صورت مستقیم برداشتن معنا در زندگی و هم به صورت غیرمستقیم بر رابطه پریشانی روانشناختی و معنا در زندگی مردان تأثیر می گذارد. به طور کلی، نتایج پژوهش حاکی از آن است که تنهایی می تواند بر پریشانی روانشناختی و داشتن معنا در زندگی مردان تأثیر بگذارند. می توان بیان کرد روان درمانی وجودی و افزایش تعاملات اجتماعی موجب کاهش پریشانی روانشناختی و تنهایی و افزایش معنا در زندگی مردان می شود.The structural relationship between psychological distress and the meaning of life in men with the mediation of loneliness
Studies have reported a mutual relationship between having meaning in life and psychological distress. However, various factors can affect distress and meaning in men's lives. Therefore, it is essential to identify these factors to reduce psychological distress and prevent suicide among men. Thus, the present study investigated the structural relationship between psychological distress and the meaning of life through the mediation of loneliness in men. The research design was descriptive-correlational. The statistical population of the research included men in Tabriz city, out of which 236 men were selected based on Kline’s opinion and available sampling method. The scales used in this research study included social-emotional loneliness questionnaires for adults, meaning of life, and psychological distress. Pearson's correlation coefficient and structural equation modelling were used to analyze the data. The results of structural equation modeling showed that psychological distress had a significant direct effect on removing meaning in life and feeling lonely. Also, loneliness directly affected the meaning in life and indirectly affected the relationship between psychological distress and meaning in men's lives. In general, the results of the study indicate that loneliness can affect psychological distress and meaning in men's lives. It can be claimed that existential psychotherapy and increasing social interactions reduce psychological distress and loneliness and mutually increase meaning in men's lives.IntroductionUdupa et al.'s (2023) and Wang et al (2024) reported a rise in distress and mental health issues among both youth and adults. As a result, there has been an increasing focus on enhancing men's mental health, which is partly due to the high rates of suicide observed among men across the globe (Freeman et al., 2017). Psychological distress is among the risk factors leading to male suicide (Yoshimasu et al., 2008). It also is a significant concern for public health (Xiong et al., 2021). In this regard, loneliness can have adverse psychological effects and indicate public health concerns, particularly psychological distress (Bornstein & Magnus., 2022). Recent research has shown that meaning of life and loneliness are related (Macia et al., 2021; Seidler., 2022; Macia et al., 2021). Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the mediating role of loneliness in the relationship between psychological distress and meaning of life in men.MethodThis study is descriptive and correlational, and it was conducted through structural equation modeling. The statistical population consisted of men in Tabriz, Iran. To increase measurement accuracy, a sample size of 236 people was selected through available and voluntary sampling methods, following Mears and Kilne’s suggestion. The researchers used an online questionnaire to collect information from men in Tabriz. The questionnaire was distributed through virtual groups, where participants could access the questionnaire link and answer the questions online.The questionnaires were:Social Emotional Loneliness Questionnaire for Adults (SELSA-S): This scale was developed by Di Tommaso et al. (2004). This scale has 14 items that measure the feeling of loneliness in three areas: romantic loneliness, family loneliness, and social loneliness. Cronbach's alpha coefficients for romantic, social, and family loneliness were 0.92, 0.84, and 0.87, respectively (Jokar and Salimi, 2011).Steger et al.'s Meaning of Life Questionnaire: This scale was designed by Steger et al. (2006). The meaning of life scale includes two subscales that evaluate the presence of meaning in life and the search for meaning. Cronbach's alpha was calculated as 0.75 for the search for meaning subscale and 0.78 for the meaning subscale.Kessler Psychological Distress Questionnaire (K-10): Kessler et al. (2003) arranged it in the form of 10 questions. Stolk et al. (2014) stated Cronbach's alpha of 0.93.Ethical principles were explained at the beginning of the questionnaire, ensuring that participants were aware of the voluntary nature of their participation, confidentiality of their answers, and free will to participate. After collecting the data from 236 participants, the researchers analyzed the data using SPSS and AMOS version 24 software.ResultsThe study revealed that out of all the participants, 5.1% were between the ages of 22 and 24, 33.1% were between the ages of 25 and 35, 36.4% were between the ages of 36 and 45, 12.7% were between the ages of 46 to 55, and 12.7% were 56 years old or above. The mean, standard deviation, skewness, kurtosis, and correlations between the research variables are presented in Table 1. Table 1The Correlation Matrix, Mean, Standard Deviation, Skewness, and Kurtosis of Research VariablesVariables123456781-Psychological distress1 2-existence of meaning-0/421**1 3- Searching for meaning-0/254**-0.572**1 4- Meaning in life-0/405**0/861**0/870**1 5- Romantic loneliness-0/322**0/173**0/0780/1501 6- Family loneliness-0/388**0/2210/162*0/231**0/450**1 7- Social loneliness-0/451**0/223**0/142*0/197**0/297**0/489**1 8- Feeling alone-0/507**0/310**0/198**0/386**0/773**0/786**0/729**1Mean14/3014/8225/2750/0714/3518/5218/6151/59standard deviation9/9845/5775/90210/0694/6343/9334/2759/956Skewness0/1130/0450/005-0/007-0/591-0/750-0/8480/077Kurtosis-0/131-0/164-0/265-0/262-0/4000/509-0/5990/316 Table 2Goodness fit indexesX2DFX2/DFGFIAGFIIFICFINFIRMSERAcceptable values--1-3>0/90>0/90>0/90>0/90>0/90<0/08 9/3871/340/980/960/990/990/970/038Fit indices of the proposed model In order to check the validity of the selected measurement model, confirmatory factor analytical fit indices were used.As seen in Table 2, the fit indices of the structural model indicate the proper fit of the research model.Figure 1 Standard research model As seen in Figure 1, psychological distress had a significant direct effect on having meaning in life and feeling lonely in men (β=-0.37), (β=-0.59), (P<0.01). Also, loneliness directly affected having meaning in men's lives (β=0.11), (p<0.05). Table 3 Indirect pathLower limitUpper limitβ Total effectPPsychological distress in the meaning of life through feelings of loneliness0/0980/309-0/064-0/430/95Results of the bootstrap test to investigate the indirect pathTable 3 reports the mediating effect of the variable feeling of loneliness in the relationship between psychological distress and meaning in men's lives with a 95% confidence interval. Considering that zero is not placed in the upper and lower range of scores, the role of mediation of loneliness dimensions about the meaning of life in men is confirmed. ConclusionThe results showed that all research variables had a significant relationship with each other. Also, psychological distress had a significant relationship with meaning in men's lives both directly and indirectly. Tyler et al (2020) suggest that finding meaning in life can help alleviate stress and anxiety resulting from difficult life events. By considering existential concepts of meaning and meaninglessness, and their implications for clinical approaches, we can enhance our ability to develop appropriate and effective strategies for supporting and improving men's mental health in a changing cultural context (Brown et al., 2023). The results of the previous studies indicate that individuals who experience loneliness often desire close relationships with those who have found meaning in their lives (Hadden & Knee, 2018; Stillman & Lambert, 2013). Such relationships can strengthen a person's sense of belonging and attraction while reducing feelings of loneliness (Folker et al., 2021). This issue is related to social psychological theories and social interactions, both of which emphasize the impact of social interactions and interpersonal relationships in creating meaning in life and reducing feelings of loneliness (Ghasemi Tabasi, 2023).According to a recent study by Borawski (2022), increased social interaction can help reduce loneliness in individuals with low meaning in life. Meanwhile, Gross et al.'s (2019) study suggests that assessing feelings of diminished meaning in life can help identify potential mental health risks in men, especially during major life changes such as divorce, unemployment, or bereavement. As such, existential psychotherapy may be a good option for men (Zafirides et al., 2013). It is especially suitable for men who are reluctant to use mental health services.Finally, the current study can be conducted with larger numbers of men in other contexts, or it can be evaluated in the statistical population of women to compare the results. It should be noted that a key limitation of this study was that the present study was conducted with a sample of men in Tabriz, Iran, therefore, caution should be taken in generalizing its results. Ethical ConsiderationCompliance with Ethical Guidelines: All ethical issues such as informed consent and confidentiality of participants' identity were respected.Conflict of Interest: There is no conflict of interest in this studyFunding: This research received no specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.Acknowledgment: The authors of the article express their gratitude to all the loved ones who participated in completing the research questionnaires.
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