Systematic review of meaning in life assessment instruments

Psycho-Oncology

Volumn 21, Issue 10, 2012, Pages 1034-1052

  Brandstätter, Monika ^a   Baumann, Urs ^b   Borasio, Gian Domenico ^c   Fegg, Martin Johannes ^a  

^a LUDWIG MAXIMILIANS UNIVERSITY   (Germany)

^b UNIVERSITY OF SALZBURG   (Austria)

^c LAUSANNE UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL   (Switzerland)

Author keywords

assessment instruments; cancer; meaning in life; oncology; palliative care; systematic review

Indexed keywords

ATTITUDE TO ILLNESS; CANCER PALLIATIVE THERAPY; CLINICAL ASSESSMENT TOOL; CONSTRUCT VALIDITY; CONSTRUCTED MEANING SCALE; CRITERION RELATED VALIDITY; DAILY MEANING SCALE; ENGAGEMENT IN MEANINGFUL ACTIVITIES SURVEY; EXISTENCE SCALE; EXISTENTIAL LONELINESS QUESTIONNAIRE; EXISTENTIAL MEANING SCALE; EXPERIENCED MEANINGFULNESS AND MEANINGLESSNESS QUESTIONNAIRE; FULFILMENT OF MEANING SCALE; GENERAL LIFE PURPOSE SCALE; HUMAN; IMPACT OF CANCER; INTERNAL CONSISTENCY; INTERVIEW ON MEANING IN LIFE; KUNZENDORF NO MEANING AND NEGATIVE MEANING SCALES; LIFE ATTITUDE PROFILE; LIFE ATTITUDE SCALE FOR ELDERLY WITH CHRONIC DISEASE; LIFE ENGAGEMENT TEST; LIFE ESTEEM SURVEY; LIFE EVALUATION QUESTIONNAIRE; LIFE MEANINGFULNESS SCALE; LIFE PURPOSE QUESTIONNAIRE; LIFE REGARD INDEX; MEANING ESSAY DOCUMENT; MEANING IN LIFE; MEANING IN LIFE ASSESSMENT INSTRUMENT; MEANING IN LIFE DEPTH; MEANING IN LIFE INDEX; MEANING IN LIFE QUESTIONNAIRE; MEANING IN LIFE SCALE; MEANING IN LIFE SCALE AND UNISCALE; MEANING IN SUFFERING TEST; MEANING MAKING SCALE; MEANING OF ILLNESS; MEANINGFUL LIFE MEASURE; MEASURE OF MUNDANE MEANING; NAMED INVENTORIES, QUESTIONNAIRES AND RATING SCALES; NEOPLASM; NORTH AMERICA; ORIENTATIONS TO HAPPINESS SCALE; PERCEIVED PERSONAL MEANING SCALE; PERSONAL MEANING PROFILE; PERSONAL MEANING SYSTEMS; PSYCHOMETRY; PURPOSE IN LIFE TEST; QUESTIONNAIRE FOR EUDAIMONIC WELL BEING; QUESTIONNAIRE OF LIFE MEANING SOURCES; QUESTIONNAIRE ON MEANING; QUESTIONS IN LIFE; REPRODUCIBILITY; REVIEW; SCHEDULE FOR MEANING IN LIFE EVALUATION; SEARCH FOR MEANING SURVEY; SEEKING OF NOETIC GOALS TEST; SELF TRANSCENDENCE MEANING OF LIFE SCALE; SENSE MAKING SCALE; SOURCES OF LIFE MEANING; SOURCES OF MEANING AND MEANINGFULNESS QUESTIONNAIRE; SOURCES OF MEANING PROFILE; SOURCES OF MEANING QUESTIONNAIRE; SPIRITUAL MEANING SCALE; SYSTEMATIC REVIEW; TEST RETEST RELIABILITY; VALUATION OF LIFE SCALE;

HUMANS; NEOPLASMS; PALLIATIVE CARE; PSYCHOMETRICS; QUALITY OF LIFE; QUESTIONNAIRES; REPRODUCIBILITY OF RESULTS; VALUE OF LIFE;

EID: 84867204709     PISSN: 10579249     EISSN: 10991611     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1002/pon.2113     Document Type: Review

References (105)

1. Baumeister RF, Wilson B. Life stories and the four needs for meaning. Psychol Inq 1996;7(4):322-325.
2. Frankl VE. Mans Search for Meaning. Pocket: New York, 1976.
3. Reker. GT. Theoretical perspective, dimensions, and measurement of existential meaning. In Exploring Existential Meaning: Optimizing Human Development Across the Life Span, Reker GT, Chamberlain K (eds). Sage: Thousand Oaks, CA, 2000; 39-55.
4. Moadel A, Morgan C, Fatone A, et al. Seeking meaning and hope: self-reported spiritual and existential needs among an ethnically-diverse cancer patient population. Psycho-Oncol 1999;8:378-385.
5. Wilson KG, Chochinov HM, McPherson CJ, et al. Desire for euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide in palliative cancer care. Health Psychol 2007;26(3):314-323.
6. OMahony S, Goulet J, Kornblith A, et al. Desire for hastened death, cancer pain and depression: report of a longitudinal observational study. J Pain Symptom Manage 2005;29(5):446-457.
7. Rodin G, Lo C, Mikulincer M, Donner A, Gagliese L, Zimmermann C. Pathways to distress: the multiple determinants of depression, hopelessness, and the desire for hastened death in metastatic cancer patients. Soc Sci Med 2009; 68:562-569.
8. Lin H, Bauer-Wu SM. Psycho-spiritual well-being in patients with advanced cancer: an integrative review of the literature. J Adv Nurs 2003;44(1):69-80.
9. OConnor AP, Wicker CA, Germino BB. Understanding the cancer patients search for meaning. Cancer Nurs 1990;13(3):167-175.
10. Taylor EJ. Factors associated with meaning in life among people with recurrent cancer. Oncol Nurs Forum 1993; 20(9):1399-1407.
11. Ersek M, Ferrell BR. Providing relief from cancer pain by assisting in the search for meaning. J Palliat Care 1994; 10(4):15-22.
12. Coward DD. Constructing meaning from the experience of cancer. Semin Oncol Nurs 1997;13(4):248-251.
13. Kallay E, Miclea M. The role of meaning in life in adaptation to life-threatening illness. Cogn Creier Comport 2007;11(1): 159-174.
14. Fleer J, Hoekstra H, Sleijfer D, Tuinman M, Hoekstra- Weebers J. The role of meaning in the prediction of psychosocial well-being of testicular cancer survivors. Qual Life Res 2006;15(4):705-717.
15. Jim HS, Andersen BL. Meaning in life mediates the relationship between social and physical functioning and distress in cancer survivors. Brit J Health Psych 2007;12(3): 363-381.
16. Jaarsma TA, Pool G, Ranchor AV, Sanderman R. The concept and measurement of meaning in life in Dutch cancer patients. Psycho-Oncol 2007;16(3):241-248.
17. Bauer-Wu S, Farran CJ. Meaning in life and psychospiritual functioning: a comparison of breast cancer survivors. J Holist Nurs 2005;23(2):172-190.
18. Morita T, Murata H, Kishi E, Miyashita M, Yamaguchi T, Uchitomi Y. Meaninglessness in terminally ill cancer patients: a randomized controlled study. J Pain Symptom Manage 2009;37(4):649-658.
19. Morita T, Murata H, Hirai K, et al. Meaninglessness in terminally ill cancer patients: a validation study and nurse education intervention trial. J Pain Symptom Manage 2007;34(2):160-170.
20. Cohen SR, Mount BM, Strobel MG, Bui F. The McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire: a measure of quality of life appropriate for people with advanced disease: A preliminary study of validity and acceptability. Palliat Med 1995;9(3):207-219.
21. Venkateswaran C, Kumar M, Thekkumpurath P, Bennett M. Making sense of end-of-life distress. Eur J Palliat Care 2008;15(1):17-21.
22. Lethborg C, Aranda S, Cox S, Kissane D. To what extent does meaning mediate adaptation to cancer? The relationship between physical suffering, meaning in life, and connection to others in adjustment to cancer. Palliat Support Care 2007;5(4):377-388.
23. ChamberlainK, Zika S.Measuring meaning in life: an examination of three scales. Pers Indiv Differ 1988;9(3):589-596.
24. Reker GT, Fry PS. Factor structure and invariance of personal meaning measures in cohorts of younger and older adults. Pers Indiv Differ 2003;35(5):977-993.
25. Schulenberg SE. A psychometric investigation of logotherapy measures and the Outcome Questionnaire (OQ-45.2). N Am J Psychol 2004;6(3):477-492.
26. Melton AMA, Schulenberg SE. On the measurement of meaning: Logotherapys empirical contributions to humanistic psychology. Humanist Psychologist 2008;36(1):31-44.
27. White C. Meaning and its measurement in psychosocial oncology. Psycho-Oncol 2004;13:468-481.
28. Fjelland JE, Barron CR, Foxall M. A review of instruments measuring two aspects of meaning: search for meaning and meaning in illness. J Adv Nurs 2008;62(4):394-406.
29. Fitzpatrick R, Davey C, Buxton MJ, Jones DR. Evaluating patient-based outcome measures for use in clinical trials. Health Technol Assess 1998;2(14): 1-76.
30. AERA, APA, NCME. Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing. AERA: New York, 1999.
31. Scientific Advisory Committee of the Medical Outcomes Trust. Assessing health status and quality-of-life instruments: attributes and review criteria. Qual Life Res 2002; 11:193-205.
32. Terwee CB, Bot SDM, de Boer MR, et al. Quality criteria were proposed for measurement properties of health status questionnaires. J Clin Epidemiol 2007;60(1):34-42.
33. Haynes SN, Mumma GH, Pinson C. Idiographic assessment: conceptual and psychometric foundations of individualized behavioral assessment. Clin Psychol Rev 2009; 29(2):179-191.
34. Brown GP, Roach A, Irving L, Joseph K. Personal meaning: a neglected transdiagnostic construct. Int J Cogn Ther 2008;1(3):223-236.
35. Byron K, Miller-Perrin C. The value of life purpose: purpose as a mediator of faith and well-being. J Positive Psychol 2009;4(1):64-70.
36. Crumbaugh JC. The Seeking of Noetic Goals Test (SONG): a complementary scale to the Purpose in Life Test (PIL). J Clin Psychol 1977;33(3):900-907.
37. Crumbaugh JC, Maholick LT. An experimental study in existentialism: the psychometric approach to Frankls concept of noogenic neurosis. J Clin Psychol 1964;20(2): 200-207.
38. Fife BL. The measurement of meaning in illness. Soc Sci Med 1995;40(8):1021-1028.
39. Francis LJ, Hills PR. The development of the Meaning in Life Index (MILI) and its relationship with personality and religious behaviours and beliefs among UK undergraduate students. Ment Health Relig Cult 2008;11(2):211-220.
40. Hong L. College stress and psychological well-being: selftranscendence meaning of life as a moderator. Coll Student J 2008;42(2):531-541.
41. Hutzell RR, Peterson T. Use of the life purpose questionnaire with an alcoholic population. Int J Addict 1986; 21(1):51-57.
42. la Cour P. Existential and religious issues when admitted to hospital in a secular society: patterns of change. Ment Health Relig Cult 2008;11(8):769-782.
43. Laverty W, Kelly I, Janzen B, Pringle-Nelson C, Miket M. Expressions of life meaning among college students. Psychol Rep 2005;97(3):945-954.
44. Lyon DE, Younger J. Development and preliminary evaluation of the Existential Meaning Scale. J Holist Nurs 2005;23(1):54-65.
45. Mascaro N, Rosen DH, Morey LC. The development, construct validity, and clinical utility of the spiritual meaning scale. Pers Indiv Differ 2004;37(4):845-860.
46. Mayers AM, Khoo S-T, Svartberg M. The Existential Loneliness Questionnaire: background, development, and preliminary findings. J Clin Psychol 2002;58(9): 1183-1193.
47. Noblejas de la Flor M. Meaning levels and drug-abuse therapy: an empirical study. Int Forum Logotherapy 1997;20(1):46-51.
48. Park CL, Edmondson D, Fenster JR, Blank TO. Meaning making and psychological adjustment following cancer: the mediating roles of growth, life meaning, and restored just-world beliefs. J Consult Clin Psychol 2008;76(5): 863-875.
49. Scheier MF, Wrosch C, Baum A, et al. The life engagement test: assessing purpose in life. J Behav Med 2006; 29(3):291-298.
50. Thompson SC, Sobolew-Shubin A, Graham M, Janigian A. Psychosocial adjustment following a stroke. Soc Sci Med 1989;28:239-247.
51. Warner SC, Williams JI. The Meaning in Life Scale: determining the reliability and validity of a measure. J Chronic Dis 1987;40(6):p. 503-512.
52. Wheeler I. The role of meaning and purpose in life in bereaved parents associated with a self-help group: compassionate friends. Omega-J Death Dying 1993;28(4): 261-271.
53. Eakman AM, Carlson ME, Clark FA. The Meaningful Activity Participation Assessment: a measure of engagement in personally valued activities. Int J Aging Hum Dev 2010; 70(4):299-317.
54. Waterman AS, Schwartz SJ, Zamboanga BL, et al. The Questionnaire for Eudaimonic Well-Being: psychometric properties, demographic comparisons, and evidence of validity. J Positive Psychol 2010;5(1):41-61.
55. van den Heuvel M, Demerouti E, Schreurs BHJ, Bakker AB, Schaufeli WB. Does meaning-making help during organizational change?: development and validation of a new scale. Career Develop Inter 2009;14(6):508-533.
56. Goldberg B, Brintnell ES, Goldberg J. The relationship between engagement in meaningful activities and quality of life in persons disabled by mental illness. Occup Ther Ment Health 2002;18(2):17-44.
57. Prager E. Exploring personal meaning in an age-differentiated Australian sample: another look at the Sources of Meaning Profile (SOMP). J Aging Stud 1996;10(2):117-136.
58. Bar-Tur L, Savaya R, Prager E. Sources of meaning in life for young and old Israeli Jews and Arabs. J Aging Stud 2001;15(3):253-269.
59. Battista J, Almond R. The development of meaning in life. Psychiatry 1973;36(4):409-427.
60. Halama P. Relationship between meaning in life and the big five personality traits in young adults and the elderly. Stud Psychol 2005;47(3):167-178.
61. Jim HS, Purnell JQ, Richardson SA, Golden-Kreutz D, Andersen BL. Measuring meaning in life following cancer. Qual Life Res 2006;15(8):1355-1371.
62. Kashdan TB, Steger MF. Curiosity and pathways to wellbeing and meaning in life: traits, states, and everyday behaviors. Motiv Emotion 2007;31(3):159-173.
63. Kernes JL, Kinnier RT. Meaning in psychologists personal and professional lives. J Humanist Psychol 2008;48(2):196-220.
64. Klaassen DW, McDonald MJ. Quest and identity development: re-examining pathways for existential search. Int J Psychol Relig 2002;12(3):189-200.
65. Krause N. Stressors arising in highly valued roles, meaning in life, and the physical health status of older adults. J Gerontol B-Psychol 2004;59B(5):S287-S291.
66. Kunzendorf R, Moran C, Gray R. Personality traits and reality-testing abilities, controlling for vividness of imagery. Imagin Cogn Pers 1995;15(2):113-131.
67. Lngle A, Orgler C, Kundi M. The Existence Scale: a new approach to assess the ability to find personal meaning in life and to reach existential fulfilment. Eur Psychother 2003;4(1):157-173.
68. Lawton MP, Moss M, Hoffman C, Kleban MH, Ruckdeschel K, Winter L. Valuation of life: a concept and a scale. J Aging Health 2001;13(1):3-31.
69. Liu S. The construction and evaluation of the reliability and validity of a life attitude scale for elderly with chronic disease. J Nurs Res 2001;9(3):33-42.
70. Morgan J, Farsides T. Measuring meaning in life. J Happiness Stud 2009;10(2):197-214.
71. Pakenham KI. Making sense of multiple sclerosis. Rehabil Psychol 2007;52(4):380-389.
72. Peterson C, Park N, Seligman MEP. Orientations to happiness and life satisfaction: the full versus the empty life. J Happiness Stud 2005;6(25):25-41.
73. Reker GT, Peacock EJ. The Life Attitude Profile (LAP): a multidimensional instrument for assessing attitudes toward life. Can J Behav Sci 1981;13(3):264-273.
74. Salmon P, Manzi F, Valori RM. Measuring the meaning of life for patients with incurable cancer: the life evaluation questionnaire (LEQ). Eur J Cancer 1996;32A(5): 755-760.
75. Schnell T. The Sources of Meaning and Meaning in Life Questionnaire (SoMe): relations to demographics and well-being. J Positive Psychol 2009;4(6):483-499.
76. Starck PL. Patients perceptions of the meaning of suffering. Int Forum Logotherapy 1983;6(2):110-116.
77. Steger MF, Frazier P, Oishi S, Kaler M. TheMeaning in Life Questionnaire: assessing the Presence of and Search for Meaning in Life. J Couns Psychol 2006;53(1):80-93.
78. Tomich PL, Helgeson VS. Five years later: a crosssectional comparison of breast cancer survivors with healthy women. Psycho-Oncol 2002;11(2):154-169.
79. Wheeler RJ, Munz DC, Jain A. Life goals and general well-being. Psychol Rep 1990;66(1):307-312.
80. Zebrack BJ, Ganz PA, Bernaards CA, Petersen L, Abraham L. Assessing the impact of cancer: development of a new instrument for long-term survivors. Psycho-Oncol 2006;15(5):407-421.
81. Auhagen AE, Holub F. Ultimate, provisional, and personal meaning of life: differences and common ground. Psychol Rep 2006;99(1):131-146.
82. Burbank PM. An exploratory study: assessing the meaning in life among older adult clients. J Gerontol Nurs 1992; 18(9):19-28.
83. De Vogler KL, Ebersole P. Categorization of college students meaning of life. Psychol Rep 1980;46(2): 387-390.
84. Debats DL. Sources of meaning: an investigation of significant commitments in life. J Humanist Psychol 1999;39(4):30-57.
85. Debats DL, Drost J, Hansen P, Experiences of meaning in life: a combined qualitative and quantitative approach. Br J Psychol 1995;86(3):359-375.
86. Degner LF, Hack T, ONeil J, Kristjanson LJ. A new approach to eliciting meaning in the context of breast cancer. Cancer Nurs 2003;26(3):169-178.
87. Dittmann-Kohli F, Westerhof GJ. The SELE-Sentence Completion Questionnaire: a new instrument for the assessment of personal meanings in aging research. Anuario de Psicologia 1997;73(2):7-18.
88. Fegg MJ, Kramer M, LHoste S, Borasio GD. The Schedule for Meaning in Life Evaluation (SMiLE): validation of a new instrument for meaning-in-life research. J Pain Symptom Manage 2008;35(4):356-364.
89. Halama, P. Dimensions of life meaning as factors of coping. Stud Psychol 2000;42(4):339-350.
90. Pohlmann K, Gruss B, Joraschky P. Structural properties of personal meaning systems: a new approach to measuring meaning of life. The Journal of Positive Psychology 2006;1(3):109-117.
91. Takkinen S, Ruoppila I. Meaning in life in three samples of elderly persons with high cognitive functioning. Int J Aging Hum Dev 2001;53(1):51-73.
92. Nunnally J, Bernstein JC. Psychometric Theory (3rd ed). McGraw-Hill: New York, 1994.
93. Streiner DL, Norman GR. Health Measurement Scales: A Practical Guide to Their Development and Use. Oxford University Press: Oxford, 2008.
94. Mascaro N, Rosen DH. Assessment of existential meaning and its longitudinal relations with depressive symptoms. J Soc Clin Psychol 2008;27(6):576-599.
95. Steger MF, Kashdan TB. Stability and specificity of meaning in life and life satisfaction over one year. Journal of Happiness Studies 2007; 8(2):161-179.
96. Park CL. Making sense of the meaning literature: an integrative review of meaning making and its effects on adjustment to stressful life events. Psychol Bull 2010; 136(2):257-301.
97. Lukas E. LOGO-Test. Test zur Messung von "innerer Sinnerfllung" und "existentieller Frustration". Deuticke: Wien, 1986.
98. Wong PTP. Implicit theories of meaningful life and the development of the Personal Meaning Profile. In The Human Quest for Meaning. A handbook of Psychological Research and Clinical Applications, Wong PTP, Fry P (Eds.), Erlbaum: Mahwah (NJ), 1998; 111-140.
99. Li H. College Stress and Psychological Well-being: Vision in Life as a Coping Resource. in Unpublished doctoral dissertation2002, University of Hong Kong.
100. Reker GT. Sources of Personal Meaning Among Middle- Aged and Older Adults: A Replication 1988, Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America: San Francisco.
101. Bearsley C, Cummins RA. No place called home: life quality and purpose of homeless youths. J Soc Distress Homel 1999; 8(4): 207-226.
102. Debats DL, Van der Lubbe PM, Wezeman FR. On the psychometric properties of the Life Regard Index (LRI): a measure of meaningful life. An evaluation in three independent samples based on the Dutch version. Pers Indiv Differ 1993; 14(2): 337-345.
103. Krause N. Evaluating the stress-buffering function of meaning in life among older people. J Aging Health 2007;19(5): 792-812.
104. Prager E, Savaya R, Bar-Tur L. The development of a culturally sensitive measure of sources of life meaning. In Exploring Existential Meaning: Optimizing Human Development Across the Life Span, Reker GT, Chamberlain K (Eds.), Sage: Thousand Oaks, CA, 2000; 123-136.
105. De Vogler-Ebersole K, Ebersole P. Depth of meaning in life: explicit rating criteria. Psychol Rep 1985;56(1): 303-310.