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Existential Well-Being in Relation to Mental Health: A Quantitative Study

Tongue, Christine LU and Lidforsen, Diana LU (2026) PSYK12 20252
Department of Psychology
Abstract (Swedish)
Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka sambandet mellan existentiell hälsa
och generell psykisk hälsa. Detta gjordes specifikt genom att jämföra två
grupper av individer som skattade högre och lägre på psykiskt välbefinnande
och se hur de skiljer sig åt i sin upplevelse av meningsfullhet i livet. Studien
inkluderade även att mäta vilka dimensioner av meningsfullhet i livet som
bidrar mest till psykiskt välbefinnande. Grundad i Frankls existentiella teorier,
har studien använt sig av Purpose in Life, PIL-20 skalan, och kombinerats med
GHQ-12 skalan för att mäta generellt psykiskt välbefinnande. Data samlades in
via ett digitalt verktyg genom ett bekvämlighetsurval ur den svenska
populationen (N=101). Resultaten visade... (More)
Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka sambandet mellan existentiell hälsa
och generell psykisk hälsa. Detta gjordes specifikt genom att jämföra två
grupper av individer som skattade högre och lägre på psykiskt välbefinnande
och se hur de skiljer sig åt i sin upplevelse av meningsfullhet i livet. Studien
inkluderade även att mäta vilka dimensioner av meningsfullhet i livet som
bidrar mest till psykiskt välbefinnande. Grundad i Frankls existentiella teorier,
har studien använt sig av Purpose in Life, PIL-20 skalan, och kombinerats med
GHQ-12 skalan för att mäta generellt psykiskt välbefinnande. Data samlades in
via ett digitalt verktyg genom ett bekvämlighetsurval ur den svenska
populationen (N=101). Resultaten visade att Purpose in Life är starkt kopplat
till generellt psykiskt välbefinnande: de deltagare som rapporterade bättre
psykiskt välmående skattade också högre på Purpose in Life, och vice versa.
En korrelationsanalys visade att GHQ-index var starkt kopplat till PIL-index,
medan korrelationerna med de enskilda PIL-faktorerna varierade från måttliga
till starka, där Meaning in Existence visade den starkaste relationen. Resultaten
visade att Meaning in Existence och Freedom to Create Meaning bidrog
signifikant till att predicera GHQ-värden, medan faktorn Will to Meaning inte
gjorde det. Dessa fynd kan vara till nytta för yrkesverksamma inom psykisk
ohälsa och bidrar till att synliggöra aspekter av existentiell hälsa som annars
ofta förbises. (Less)
Abstract
The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between existential
health and general mental health, specifically to investigate how individuals
with higher and lower levels of mental well-being differ in their Purpose in
Life and to measure which dimensions of Purpose in Life contribute the most
strongly to mental well-being. Grounded in Frankl’s existential theories, this
study used the Purpose in Life, PIL-20 scale, combined with GHQ-12 to
measure mental health. The data were collected via a digital survey through
convenience sampling in the general Swedish population (N=101). The results
found that Purpose in Life is strongly associated with general mental health:
participants reporting better mental health... (More)
The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between existential
health and general mental health, specifically to investigate how individuals
with higher and lower levels of mental well-being differ in their Purpose in
Life and to measure which dimensions of Purpose in Life contribute the most
strongly to mental well-being. Grounded in Frankl’s existential theories, this
study used the Purpose in Life, PIL-20 scale, combined with GHQ-12 to
measure mental health. The data were collected via a digital survey through
convenience sampling in the general Swedish population (N=101). The results
found that Purpose in Life is strongly associated with general mental health:
participants reporting better mental health also scored higher on Purpose in
Life, and vice versa. A correlational analysis showed that GHQ index was
strongly associated with the PIL index, while correlations with individual PIL
factors ranged from strong to moderate, with Meaning in Existence showing
the strongest relationship. It was found that the dimensions Meaning in
Existence and Freedom to Create Meaning contributed significantly to
predicting GHQ scores, while Will to Meaning did not. These findings have
value for mental health professionals and contribute to the often overlooked
topic of existential health. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Tongue, Christine LU and Lidforsen, Diana LU
supervisor
organization
course
PSYK12 20252
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
Existential health, purpose in life, general mental health, Existentiell hälsa, meningsfullhet, generell psykisk hälsa
language
English
id
9219573
date added to LUP
2026-01-21 08:34:12
date last changed
2026-01-21 08:34:12
@misc{9219573,
  abstract     = {{The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between existential 
health and general mental health, specifically to investigate how individuals 
with higher and lower levels of mental well-being differ in their Purpose in 
Life and to measure which dimensions of Purpose in Life contribute the most 
strongly to mental well-being. Grounded in Frankl’s existential theories, this 
study used the Purpose in Life, PIL-20 scale, combined with GHQ-12 to 
measure mental health. The data were collected via a digital survey through 
convenience sampling in the general Swedish population (N=101). The results 
found that Purpose in Life is strongly associated with general mental health: 
participants reporting better mental health also scored higher on Purpose in 
Life, and vice versa. A correlational analysis showed that GHQ index was 
strongly associated with the PIL index, while correlations with individual PIL 
factors ranged from strong to moderate, with Meaning in Existence showing 
the strongest relationship. It was found that the dimensions Meaning in 
Existence and Freedom to Create Meaning contributed significantly to 
predicting GHQ scores, while Will to Meaning did not. These findings have 
value for mental health professionals and contribute to the often overlooked 
topic of existential health.}},
  author       = {{Tongue, Christine and Lidforsen, Diana}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Existential Well-Being in Relation to Mental Health: A Quantitative Study}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}