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Measuring meaning in life following cancer

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Abstract

Meaning in life is a multi-faceted construct that has been conceptualized in diverse ways. It refers broadly to the value and purpose of life, important life goals, and for some, spirituality. We developed a measure of meaning in life derived from this conceptualization and designed to be a synthesis of relevant theoretical and empirical traditions. Two samples, all cancer patients, provided data for scale development and psychometric study. From exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses the Meaning in Life Scale (MiLS) emerged, and includes four aspects: Harmony and Peace, Life Perspective, Purpose and Goals, Confusion and Lessened Meaning, and Benefits of Spirituality. Supporting data for reliability (internal consistency, test–retest) and construct validity (convergent, discriminant, individual differences) are provided. The MiLS offers a theoretically based and psychometrically sound assessment of meaning in life suitable for use with cancer patients.

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Acknowledgements

Preparation of this manuscript was supported in part by the American Cancer Society (PBR-89), Longaberger Company-American Cancer Society Grant for Breast Cancer Research (PBR-89A), U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity Grants (DAMD17–94-J-4165; DAMD17– 96-1–6294; DAMD17–97-1–7062), National Institutes of Mental Health (RO1 MH51487), the National Cancer Institute (RO1 CA92704; KO5 CA098133) awarded to B.L. Andersen, the Ohio State University Alumni Grant for Graduate Research and Scholarship to H. Jim, and The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center (NCI, P30 CA16058). We wish to thank participants for their continuing and new involvement in the research. We thank Lynn Neely for her early contributions in measure development, Anna Han for early technical assistance with the web study, the professional and research staff of the Stress and Immunity Breast Cancer Project, and Drs. Timothy Crespin and Hae-Chung Yang for statistical efforts.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA

    Heather S. Jim, Jason Q. Purnell & Susan A. Richardson

  2. Department of Cardiology, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA

    Deanna Golden-Kreutz

  3. Department of Psychology and the OSU Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA

    Barbara L. Andersen

  4. Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University, 1835 Neil Avenue, Columbus, OH, 43210-1222, USA

    Barbara L. Andersen

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  1. Heather S. Jim
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  2. Jason Q. Purnell
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  3. Susan A. Richardson
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  4. Deanna Golden-Kreutz
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  5. Barbara L. Andersen
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Correspondence to Barbara L. Andersen.

 

 

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Jim, H.S., Purnell, J.Q., Richardson, S.A. et al. Measuring meaning in life following cancer. Qual Life Res 15, 1355–1371 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-006-0028-6

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