The longitudinal directional associations of meaningful work with mental well-being – initial findings from an exploratory investigation

BMC Psychology

Research

Daniel Mauss¹  Joachim E. Fischer¹  Bertil N. Baron¹  Raphael M. Herr²  Luisa Brokmeier² 

[1] Center for Preventive Medicine and Digital Health (CPD), Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany;Center for Preventive Medicine and Digital Health (CPD), Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany;Department of Medical Informatics, Biometry and Epidemiology, Professorship of Epidemiology and Public Health, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Erlangen, Germany;

关键词: Meaningful work;    Meaning in work;    Mental well-being;    Purpose;    Cross-lagged model;    Directional associations;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s40359-023-01308-x

 received in 2022-08-24, accepted in 2023-09-04,  发布年份 2023

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundAn increasing number of studies reveal that more meaning in life is positively related to mental well-being. Meaning in life can be derived from different sources, including the workplace. The aim of this study was to explore the longitudinal directional association of meaningful work with mental well-being.MethodsProspective data from 292 persons at two timepoints (two-week interval) were used to estimate the cross-lagged relationship and directionality of meaningful work with mental well-being.ResultsThe cross-lagged panel model had a good fit to the data (Chi2 ms(90) = 150.9; p < 0.001; RMSEA = 0.048; p = 0.576; CFI = 0.984; TLI = 0.979; SRMR = 0.040) and showed that levels of meaningful work at t1 had a positive effect on mental well-being at t2 (β = 0.15, p = 0.010). But mental well-being at t1 did not affect meaningful work at t2 (β = 0.02, p = 0.652). Sub-analyses revealed the effects to be mainly driven by women (as opposed to men) and white-collar workers (as opposed to blue-collar workers).ConclusionThis study confirmed a directional association of meaningful work on mental well-being, indicating that more meaningful work has beneficial mental well-being effects.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature 2023