Exploring the Relationship Between Meaning in Life and Recovery in People With Serious Mental Illness (SMI): A Latent Profile Analysis

Objective: Meaning in life is crucial for the recovery of individuals with serious mental illness (SMI). The aim of the present study was to identify profiles of meaning in life among individuals with SMI based on the presence of meaning and search for meaning and to examine their associations with recovery. Methods: Latent profile analysis for a sample of 207 individuals with SMI in South Korea was employed to identify the latent profile of meaning in life using the presence of meaning and searching for meaning as an indicator. Next, multinomial logistic regression was used to examine the relationship between demographic variables and latent profiles. Last, categorical regression was applied to explore the association of latent profiles with recovery. Results: Latent profile analysis revealed three distinctive profiles: meaning diffusion (10.1%), meaning moratorium (27.5%), and meaning achievement (62.3%). Among demographic variables, only age had a negative effect. Compared with meaning moratorium (reference group), meaning achievement positively predicted recovery, whereas meaning diffusion negatively predicted recovery. Conclusions and Implications for Practice: The finding could help psychiatric rehabilitation practitioners focus on helping individuals with SMI in promoting meaning in life for their recovery journey.