Turning points : meaning-making and its association with psychological well-being, academic achievement and parental relationship quality among adolescents

摘要

There is substantial research linking meaning-making ability and psychological well-being in thecontext of turning point events. Still, an important research question remains: whetherindividuals who report meaning-making and psychological well-being were already betteradjusted psychologically, prior to the experience of their turning point. In addition, the role ofmeaning-making on academic achievement and parental relationship quality has received littleempirical attention although both variables have been shown to be positively associated withpositive adjustment among adolescents. This longitudinal study examined differences inpsychological well-being, academic achievement, and parental relationship quality betweenadolescents who reported meaning-making (lessons or insights) and those who reported nomeaning-making within their turning point narratives. Participants were 803 (52% female) grade12 adolescents, 26% (N = 209) of whom had reported experiencing a turning point. Participantsalso completed measures on the outcome variables (psychological well-being, academicachievement, and parental relationship quality) 3 years prior, when they were in grade 9.MANOVA results indicated that, of the participants who experienced a turning point,adolescents who reported meaning-making reported significantly higher psychological wellbeingand more positive parental relationship quality than adolescents who reported no meaningmaking.Importantly, these two groups did not differ on the outcome variables prior to theirexperience of a turning point event when they were in grade 9. Academic achievement scores didnot differ significantly between adolescents who reported meaning-making and those whoreported no meaning-making. These findings highlight the importance of meaning-making inrelation to positive adjustment subsequent to a turning point among adolescents.