Characteristics and Correlates of Meaning in Life Profiles among Chinese Rural Adolescents

The meaning in life (MIL) in adolescence is crucial in the developmental process of life. Anchored in the Integrated Model of Meaning Making and the Dual-Systems Model of Meaning, the present study aimed to explore the MIL profiles among Chinese rural adolescents and their characteristics, as well as the role of depression, well-being, character strengths, and academic encouragement in differentiating the MIL profiles. A sample of 579 adolescents from rural China (Mean age = 15.33, SD = 1.69, aged from 12 to 19, female = 56.47%) participated in the survey. Latent profile analysis examined six dimensions of MIL: search for meaning, presence of meaning, need for meaning, meaning confusion, meaning anxiety, and meaning avoidance. Four profiles with different meaning characteristics were revealed: Meaning Oriented profile (18.48%), Bewildered profile (17.62%), Perfunctory profile (51.47%), and Indifferent profile (12.44%). The Meaning Oriented profile had the highest well-being scores and the lowest depression scores compared to the other three profiles. Adolescents with higher character strengths or academic encouragement were less likely to be in the other three profiles than in the Meaning-Oriented profile. The current findings suggest the need for targeted intervention strategies for adolescents with different MIL profiles.