Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Planfulness in Psychological Well-being: Mediating Roles of Self-Efficacy and Presence of Meaning in Life

  • Original Research
  • Published:
Applied Research in Quality of Life Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This study explores the intricate dynamics between Planfulness in Personal Growth Initiative and Psychological well-being, emphasizing the mediating roles of General Self-Efficacy, the Presence of Meaning in Life, and the moderating impact of gender. A sample of 1,089 Greek adults was analyzed using the Mental Health Continuum-Short Form, General Self-Efficacy Scale, Personal Growth Initiative Scale, and Meaning in Life Questionnaire. The study employed a comprehensive analytical strategy, including correlation analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, path analysis, and covariance and variance analysis, to examine the interrelationships among the constructs. The results revealed significant positive correlations between Planfulness in Personal Growth Initiatives and Psychological Well-being. GSE and MLQ_P significantly mediated this relationship. Higher Planfulness was associated with increased self-efficacy and a stronger sense of life's meaning, contributing to enhanced psychological well-being. Gender differences were observed, with more pronounced effects in women than men. The study also identified a moderate covariance between GSE and MLQ_P, suggesting their interdependent influence on psychological well-being. The findings illuminate the critical roles of Planfulness, self-efficacy, and meaning in life in enhancing psychological well-being, with gender differences playing a significant role in these dynamics. These insights contribute to the theoretical understanding of psychological well-being and have practical implications in various sectors, including education, organizational management, mental health, and policy formulation.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

Data Availability

The datasets generated during and analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

References

  • Anis, W., Kuntoro, S. M., & Melaniani, S. (2021). Difference of power test and type ii error (β) on Mardia mvn test, Henze zikler's mvn test, and Royston's mvn test using multivariate data analysis. Jurnal Biometrika Dan Kependudukan, 10(2), 153–161.

  • Ashcroft, R. E., Emanuel, E. J., Grady, C., Crouch, R. A., Lie, R. K., Miller, F. G., & Wendler, D. (2008). The Oxford textbook of clinical research ethics.

  • Bandura, A. (2023). Social cognitive: Theory an agentic perspective on human nature. John Wiley & Sons.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Barton, A. W., Yu, T., Gong, Q., Chen, E., Miller, G. E., & Brody, G. H. (2024). Skin-deep resilience and early adolescence: Neighborhood disadvantage, executive functioning, and pubertal development in minority youth. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 53(2), 284–293.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bell, A. (2021). Cross-sectional and longitudinal studies. Research Methods in the Social Sciences: An A-Z of Key Concepts. https://doi.org/10.1093/hepl/9780198850298.003.0018

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bhargava, S. (2023). Promoting subjective well-being of it professionals through gratitude practice: A moderated mediation analysis of gender and employee engagement. Management Research Review, 47(4), 559–580. https://doi.org/10.1108/mrr-05-2022-0363

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blackburn, L., & Owens, G. P. (2015). The effect of self efficacy and meaning in life on posttraumatic stress disorder and depression severity among veterans. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 71(3), 219–228.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown, T. A. (2015). Confirmatory factor analysis for applied research (2nd ed.). Guilford Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Browne, M. W., & Cudeck, R. (1993). Alternative ways of assessing model fit. In K. A. Bollen & J. S. Long (Eds.), Testing Structural Equation Models (pp. 136–162). Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cengiz, Z., Gürdap, Z., Karaca, E., & Acun, M. (2021). The relationship between nursing students’ self-efficiency and vocational motivation. Sağlık Ve Hemşirelik Yönetimi Dergisi. https://doi.org/10.5222/shyd.2021.24855

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chiodo, L., Sonn, C., & Morda, R. (2014). Implementing an intercultural psychology undergraduate unit: Approach, strategies, and outcomes. Australian Psychologist, 49(3), 181–192. https://doi.org/10.1111/ap.12047

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cooper, B., Wang, J., Bartram, T., & Cooke, F. (2018). Well-being-oriented human resource management practices and employee performance in the chinese banking sector: The role of social climate and resilience. Human Resource Management, 58(1), 85–97. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.21934

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cronbach, L. J. (1951). Coefficient alpha and the internal structure of tests. Psychometrika, 16(3), 297–334.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crookes, A. & Warren, M. (2022). Building a global psychological science through research in the pacific island nation of fiji: a systematic review of the literature. Discover Psychology, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.1007/s44202-022-00029-3

  • Czyżowska, D., & Gurba, E. (2021). Does reflection on everyday events enhance meaning in life and well-being among emerging adults? self-efficacy as mediator between meaning in life and well-being. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(18), 9714. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18189714

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De Maesschalck, R., Jouan-Rimbaud, D., & Massart, D. L. (2000). The mahalanobis distance. Chemometrics and Intelligent Laboratory Systems, 50(1), 1–18.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dinata, K. I., Kholifah, U. N., Lestari, P. P., Mumpuni, U. A., & Rafli, M. (2023). Exploring the Meaning of Life from Victor Frankl's Perspective: A Study on the Spiritual Dimensions in Logotherapy. In Proceeding International Conference on Tradition and Religious Studies, 2(1), 37–45.

  • Durmaz, A., Dursun, İ., & Kabadayi, E. (2020). Mitigating the effects of social desirability bias in self-report surveys, pp. 146–185. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-1025-4.ch007.

  • Eagly, A. H., & Karau, S. J. (2002). Role congruity theory of prejudice toward female leaders. Psychological Review, 109(3), 573–598. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295x.109.3.573

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Esfahani, N., Talakoub, S., Jafari-Mianaei, S., & Mostofizadeh, N. (2021). Effect of group hope therapy on self-efficacy of adolescents with type 1 diabetes. Revista Da Associação Médica Brasileira, 67(12), 1816–1820. https://doi.org/10.1590/1806-9282.20210750

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fayolle, A., Gailly, B., & Lassas-Clerc, N. (2006). Assessing the impact of entrepreneurship education programs: A new methodology. Journal of European Industrial Training, 30(9), 701–720. https://doi.org/10.1108/03090590610715022

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Flor-Alemany, M., Baena-García, L., Migueles, J., Henriksson, P., Löf, M., & Aparicio, V. (2022). Associations of mediterranean diet with psychological ill-being and well-being throughout the pregnancy course: The gestafit project. Quality of Life Research, 31(9), 2705–2716. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-022-03121-2

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • García-Alandete, J. (2023). The Place of Religiosity and Spirituality in Frankl's Logotherapy: Distinguishing Salvific and Hygienic Objectives. Journal of Religion and Health, 63(1):6–30. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-023-01760-4

  • Gupta, T. (2021). Gender Differences on Personality Trait, 9. https://doi.org/10.25215/0903.134.

  • Hartung, C., & Lefler, E. (2019). Sex and gender in psychopathology: DSM–5 and beyond. Psychological Bulletin, 145, 390–409. https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000183

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hidayati, N., Toharudin, T., & Eriyani, T. (2021). Level of psychological well-being among prisoners. Journal of Nursing Care, 4(3). https://doi.org/10.24198/jnc.v4i3.33196

  • Hu, L., & Bentler, P. M. (1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling, 6, 1–55. https://doi.org/10.1080/10705519909540118

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jeste, D. (2018). Positive psychiatry comes of age. International Psychogeriatrics, 30(12), 1735–1738. https://doi.org/10.1017/s1041610218002211

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kaur, K. (2020). A study of the relationship between self- beliefs and achievement motivation. MIER Journal of Educational Studies Trends & Practices, 207–217. https://doi.org/10.52634/mier/2013/v3/i2/1544

  • Kelley, M., Chae, J., Bravo, A., Milam, A., Agha, E., Gaylord, S., … & Currier, J. (2021). Own soul's warning: moral injury, suicidal ideation, and meaning in life. Psychological Trauma Theory Research Practice and Policy, 13(7), 740–748. https://doi.org/10.1037/tra0001047

  • Kline, R. B. (2016). Principles and Practice of Structural Equation Modeling: Methodology in the social sciences (4th ed.). London: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Korkmaz, S., Göksülük, D., & Zararsiz, G. Ö. K. M. E. N. (2014). MVN: An R package for assessing multivariate normality. R Journal, 6(2).

  • Krok, D., & Gerymski, R. (2019). Self-efficacy as a mediator of the relationship between meaning in life and subjective well-being in cardiac patients. Current Issues in Personality Psychology, 7(3), 242–251. https://doi.org/10.5114/cipp.2019.89168

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kwak, S. G., & Kim, J. H. (2017). Statistical data preparation: Management of missing values and outliers. Korean Journal of Anesthesiology, 70(4), 407. https://doi.org/10.4097/kjae.2017.70.4.407

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kyriazos, T. (2017). Reliability of psychometric instruments. In M. Galanakis, C. Pezirkianidis, & A. Stalikas (Eds.), Basic Aspects of Psychometrics (pp. 85–126). Topos.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kyriazos, T., & Poga, M. (2023). Association of modern sexism with demographic and socioeconomic factors: A machine learning approach. Social Network Analysis and Mining, 13(1), 154. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13278-023-01164-y

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kyriazos, T., & Stalikas, A. (2022). Profiling parents’ well-being with a newly developed positive parenting measure. Psychology: the Journal of the Hellenic Psychological Society, 27(2), 40–58.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lamers, S. M., Westerhof, G. J., Bohlmeijer, E. T., ten Klooster, P. M., & Keyes, C. L. (2011). Evaluating the psychometric properties of the mental health continuum-short form (MHC-SF). Journal of Clinical Psychology, 67(1), 99–110.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lippke, S., Wiedemann, A. U., Ziegelmann, J. P., Reuter, T., & Schwarzer, R. (2009). Self-efficacy moderates the mediation of intentions into behavior via plans. American Journal of Health Behavior, 33(5). https://doi.org/10.5993/ajhb.33.5.5

  • Luyckx, K., & Robitschek, C. (2014). Personal growth initiative and identity formation in adolescence through young adulthood: Mediating processes on the pathway to well-being. Journal of Adolescence, 37(7), 973–981. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2014.07.009

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lyons, P., & Bandura, R. (2019). Self-efficacy: Core of employee success. Development in Learning Organizations an International Journal, 33(3), 9–12. https://doi.org/10.1108/dlo-04-2018-0045

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mair, P. (2018). Modern psychometrics with R. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-93177-7

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Malkewitz, C. P., Schwall, P., Meesters, C., & Hardt, J. (2023). Estimating reliability: A comparison of Cronbach’s α, McDonald’s ωt and the greatest lower bound. Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 7(1), 100368.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mason, H. (2019). Personal growth initiative: Relation to Hedonia and Eudaimonia happiness among South African university students. Journal of Psychology in Africa, 29, 260–264. https://doi.org/10.1080/14330237.2019.1626133

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Matud, M., López-Curbelo, M., & Fortes, D. (2019). Gender and psychological well-being. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(19), 3531. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16193531

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McDonald, R. P. (2013). Test theory: A unified treatment. Psychology Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Muñoz, J., Egger, M., Efthimiou, O., Audigier, V., de Jong, V. M. T., & Debray, T. P. A. (2023). Multiple imputation of incomplete multilevel data using heckman selection models. https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2301.05043

  • Noor, A. M., Govindasamy, P., & Isa, N. J. M. (2020). Personal growth initiative in relation to life satisfaction among university students. EDUCATUM Journal of Social Sciences, 6(2), 42–49. https://doi.org/10.37134/ejoss.vol6.2.5.2020

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nordhausen, K. & Oja, H. (2018). Independent component analysis: a statistical perspective. WIREs Computational Statistics, 10(5). https://doi.org/10.1002/wics.1440

  • Robitschek, C., Ashton, M. W., Spering, C. C., Geiger, N., Byers, D., Schotts, G. C., … & Thoen, M. A. (2012). Development and psychometric evaluation of the personal growth initiative scale–ii. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 59(2), 274–287. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0027310

  • Robitschek, C., & Keyes, C. L. M. (2009). Keyes’s model of mental health with personal growth initiative as a parsimonious predictor. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 56(2), 321–329. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0013954

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rumjaun, A., & Narod, F. (2020). Social learning theory—Albert Bandura. In B. Akpan, & T. J.  Kennedy (Eds.), Science Education in Theory and Practice. Springer Texts in Education. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-43620-9_7

  • Ryan, R. M., & Maarten, V. (2023). 'Self-Determination Theory: Metatheory, Methods, and Meaning'. In M. R. Richard (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Self-Determination Theory; online edn, Oxford Academic https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780197600047.013.2. Accessed 17 Apr 2024

  • Ryff, C. D. (2013). Psychological well-being revisited: Advances in the science and practice of eudaimonia. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 83(1), 10–28. https://doi.org/10.1159/000353263

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ryff, C. D. (2023). Contributions of eudaimonic well-being to mental health practice. Mental Health and Social Inclusion, (ahead-of-print).

  • Salleh, A., Omar, K., Aburumman, O., Mat, N., & Almhairat, M. (2020). The impact of career planning and career satisfaction on employee’s turnover intention. Journal of Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Issues, 8(1), 218–232. https://doi.org/10.9770/jesi.2020.8.1(14)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schippers, M., Morisano, D., Locke, E., Scheepers, A., Latham, G., & Jong, E. (2020). Writing about personal goals and plans regardless of goal type boosts academic performance. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 60, 101823. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2019.101823

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schwarzer, R., & Jerusalem, M. (1995). Generalized self-efficacy scale. In I. J. Weinman, S. Wright, & M. Johnston (Eds.), Measures in health psychology: A user’s portfolio. Causal and control beliefs (pp. 35–37). NFER-NELSON.

  • Seamans, M., Hong, H., Ackerman, B., Schmid, I., & Stuart, E. (2021). Generalizability of subgroup effects. Epidemiology. https://doi.org/10.1097/EDE.0000000000001329

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spector, P. (2019). Do Not Cross Me: Optimizing the Use of Cross-Sectional Designs. Journal of Business and Psychology, 34, 125–137. https://doi.org/10.1007/S10869-018-09613-8

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stalikas, A., & Kyriazos, T. (2019). Research methods and statistics using R. Topos.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stalikas, A., Kyriazos, T. A., Yotsidi, V., & Prassa, K. (2018). Using bifactor EFA, bifactor CFA and exploratory structural equation modeling to validate factor structure of the meaning in life questionnaire, greek version. Psychology, 9, 348–371. https://doi.org/10.4236/psych.2018.93022

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Steger, M. F., Frazier, P., Oishi, S., & Kaler, M. (2006). The meaning in life questionnaire: Assessing the presence of and search for meaning in life. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 53(1), 80.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sun, Y. (2023). The relationship between college students’ interpersonal relationship and mental health: Multiple mediating effect of safety awareness and college planning. Psychology Research and Behavior Management, 16, 261–270. https://doi.org/10.2147/prbm.s396301

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walker, S. (2021). Self-compassion mediates the relationship between dispositional mindfulness and athlete burnout among adolescent squash players in south africa. South African Journal of Sports Medicine, 33(1). https://doi.org/10.17159/2078-516x/2021/v33i1a11877

  • Weigold, I. K., Porfeli, E. J., & Weigold, A. (2013). Examining tenets of personal growth initiative using the personal growth initiative scale–ii. Psychological Assessment, 25(4), 1396–1403. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0034104

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Whittaker, A. E., & Robitschek, C. (2001). Multidimensional family functioning: Predicting personal growth initiative. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 48(4), 420–427. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0167.48.4.420

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yuan, K. H., & Bentler, P. M. (2000). Three likelihood-based methods for mean and covariance structure analysis with nonnormal missing data. Sociological Methodology, 30, 165–200. https://doi.org/10.1111/0081-1750.00078

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yuen, M., & Datu, J. A. D. (2020). Meaning in life, connectedness, academic self-efficacy, and personal self-efficacy: A winning combination. School Psychology International, 42(1), 79–99. https://doi.org/10.1177/0143034320973370

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Panteion University, Athens, Greece

    Theodoros Kyriazos

  2. Independent Researcher, Athens, Greece

    Mary Poga

Authors
  1. Theodoros Kyriazos
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Mary Poga
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

All authors whose names appear on the submission.

1) made substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data; or the creation of new software used in the work.

2) drafted the work or revised it critically for important intellectual content.

3) approved the version to be published.

4) agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Theodoros Kyriazos.

Ethics declarations

Informed Consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Competing Interests

The authors have no competing interests to declare relevant to this article's content.

Conflict of Interest

On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Kyriazos, T., Poga, M. Planfulness in Psychological Well-being: Mediating Roles of Self-Efficacy and Presence of Meaning in Life. Applied Research Quality Life (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11482-024-10314-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11482-024-10314-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation