AI Chat Paper
Note: Please note that the following content is generated by AMiner AI. SciOpen does not take any responsibility related to this content.
{{lang === 'zh_CN' ? '文章概述' : 'Summary'}}
{{lang === 'en_US' ? '中' : 'Eng'}}
Chat more with AI
Powered by AMiner. Clicking this button will take you away from SciOpen.
Home Stress and Brain Article
PDF (942.7 KB)
Cite
EndNote(RIS) BibTeX
Collect
Submit Manuscript AI Chat Paper
Show Outline
Outline
Show full outline
Hide outline
Outline
Show full outline
Hide outline
Research Article | Open Access

Interpersonal Competence and Meaning in Life for University Students: A multi-group Model

Psychological health education center of Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China
Department of psychology in Nanjing University, Nanjing 210008, China
Show Author Information

Abstract

Background:

With the COVID-19 pandemic in the first half of 2020, most colleges in China delayed in-person instruction. During this period, interpersonal isolation (social isolation) emerged, which created a natural "laboratory" for examining students’ attitudes and feelings toward social interaction. This study aimed to analyze the mediating effect of sense of security (SS) and the moderating effect of social perception on the associations between interpersonal competence (IC) and the presence of meaning.

Methods:

A cross-sectional study was conducted among 1161 university students after the COVID-19 lockdown in China. A structural equation modeling approach was applied to examine the mediating effect of SS on the association between the presence of meaning and IC. A multigroup analysis was used to comprehend the moderating effect of social perception on the model.

Results:

SS indicated a complete mediating effect on the path from IC to the presence of meaning in the social preference group. Meanwhile, the moderating effect of social perception mainly occurred on the pathway of IC to SS between the social avoidance and social preference groups.

Conclusions:

IC influences the presence of meaning through different paths for different groups. University students with social preference are more capable of obtaining SS from their IC and further experience more meaning in life.

Keywords

meaning in lifeinterpersonal competencesense of securitysocial perceptionuniversity students

References

[1]
Schnell, T., Krampe, H. Meaning in life and self-control buffer stress in times of COVID-19: Moderating and mediating effects with regard to mental distress. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 2020, 11: 582352.
Crossref Google Scholar
[2]
Heintzelman, S. J., King, L. A. Life is pretty meaningful. American Psychologist, 2014, 69(6): 561–574.
Crossref Google Scholar
[3]
King, L. A., Hicks, J. A. The science of meaning in life. Annual Review of Psychology, 2021, 72: 561–584.
Crossref Google Scholar
[4]
Heine, S. J., Proulx, T., Vohs, K. D. The meaning maintenance model: On the coherence of social motivations. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 2006, 10(2): 88–110.
Crossref Google Scholar
[5]
Aftab, A., Lee, E. E., Klaus, F., Daly, R., Wu, T. C., Tu, X., Huege, S., Jeste, D. V. Meaning in life and its relationship with physical, mental, and cognitive functioning. The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 2019, 81(1): 19m13064.
Crossref Google Scholar
[6]
Steger, M. F., Frazier, P., Oishi, S., Kaler, M. The meaning in life questionnaire: Assessing the presence of and search for meaning in life. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 2006, 53(1): 80–93.
Crossref Google Scholar
[7]
Jebb, A. T., Morrison, M., Tay, L., Diener, E. Subjective well-being around the world: Trends and predictors across the life span. Psychological Science, 2020, 31(3): 293–305.
Crossref Google Scholar
[8]
Zhang, R., Pual, T. P. W., Li, D. The Effects of Relationship and Self-Concept on Meaning in Life: A Longitudinal Study. Psychological Science, 2020, 43(05): 1154–1161.
Google Scholar
[9]
O’Donnell, M. B., Bentele, C. N., Grossman, H. B., Le, Y. Y., Jang, H., Steger, M. F. You, me, and meaning: An integrative review of connections between relationships and meaning in life. Journal of Psychology in Africa, 2014, 24(1): 44–50.
Crossref Google Scholar
[10]
Chao, M., Chen, X. M., Liu, T., Yang, H. B., Hall, B. J. Psychological distress and state boredom during the COVID-19 outbreak in China: The role of meaning in life and media use. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 2020, 11(1): 1769379–1769379.
Crossref Google Scholar
[11]
Yin, Y. The relationship between intercourse vexation and meaning of life: Cross-lagged regression analysis among college freshmen. Psychological Research, 2020, 13(03): 275–281.
Google Scholar
[12]
Huber, L., Plötner, M., Schmitz, J. Social competence and psychopathology in early childhood: A systematic review.European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 2019, 28(4): 443–459.
Crossref Google Scholar
[13]
Liu, J. S., Coplan, R. J., Chen, X. Y., Li, D., Ding, X. C., Zhou, Y. Unsociability and shyness in Chinese children: Concurrent and predictive relations with indices of adjustment. Social Development, 2014, 23(1): 119–136.
Crossref Google Scholar
[14]
Liu, Y., Jing, L. J., Liu, Y., Wang, H. L., Yuan, T. G., Yang, J. Y. Active for life after cancer: Association of physical activity with cancer patients’ interpersonal competence, quality of life, and survival beliefs. Behavioral Sciences, 2023, 13(6): 449.
Crossref Google Scholar
[15]
Zhang, R., Ke, S., Lian, R., Li, D., The Association between Interpersonal Competence and Meaning in Life: Roles of Loneliness and Grade. Psychological Development and Education, 2020, 36(5): 576–583.
Google Scholar
[16]
Danneel, S., Maes, M., Vanhalst, J., Bijttebier, P., Goossens, L. Developmental change in loneliness and attitudes toward aloneness in adolescence. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 2018, 47(1): 148–161.
Crossref Google Scholar
[17]
Durlak, J. A., Weissberg, R. P., Pachan, M. A meta-analysis of after-school programs that seek to promote personal and social skills in children and adolescents. American Journal of Community Psychology, 2010, 45(3–4): 294–309.
Crossref Google Scholar
[18]
China University MOOC. 2023. Available at: https://www.icourse163.org/ (accessed 1 May 2023).
[19]
Paulos, H., Xu, K. W. Investigating the causes and treatments of hollow disease through a dialogue between Finnish and Chinese education. Theory and Practice of Psychological Counseling, 2019, 1(8): 329–372.
Crossref Google Scholar
[20]
Xu, K. W. Interpretation of "hollow disease" of the times. Shaanxi Education: Comprehensive Edition, 2016: 58–60
[21]
Jin, Y. Research on the college students' hollow disease phenomenon affecting. Master Thesis, Lanzhou University, China, 2019.
[22]
Wu, L. The Diagnosis and Treatment of Chinese Youth’s "Hollow Disease" under the Perspective of Modernity. Contemporary Youth Research, 2018, 352(1): 79–84.
Google Scholar
[23]
Lambert, N. M., Stillman, T. F., Hicks, J. A., Kamble, S., Baumeister, R. F., Fincham, F. D. To belong is to matter: Sense of belonging enhances meaning in life. Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin, 2013, 39(11): 1418–1427.
Crossref Google Scholar
[24]
Van Tongeren, D. R., Green, J. D., Davis, D. E., Hook, J. N., Hulsey, T. L. Prosociality enhances meaning in life. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 2016, 11(3): 225–236.
Crossref Google Scholar
[25]
Pan, Z. X., Zhang, D. J., Hu, T. Q., Pan, Y. G. The relationship between psychological Suzhi and social anxiety among Chinese adolescents: The mediating role of self-esteem and sense of security. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health, 2018, 12: 50.
Crossref Google Scholar
[26]
Chu, C., Buchman-Schmitt, J. M., Stanley, I. H., Hom, M. A., Tucker, R. P., Hagan, C. R., Rogers, M. L., Podlogar, M. C., Chiurliza, B., Ringer, F. B. et al. The interpersonal theory of suicide: A systematic review and meta-analysis of a decade of cross-national research. Psychological Bulletin, 2017, 143(12): 1313–1345.
Crossref Google Scholar
[27]
Dejonckheere, E., Bastian, B., Fried, E. I., Murphy, S. C., Kuppens, P. Perceiving social pressure not to feel negative predicts depressive symptoms in daily life. Depression and Anxiety, 2017, 34(9): 836–844.
Crossref Google Scholar
[28]
Yu, Y. J., Yu, Y. J., Hu, J. X. COVID-19 among Chinese high school graduates: Psychological distress, growth, meaning in life and resilience. Journal of Health Psychology, 2022, 27(5): 1057–1069.
Crossref Google Scholar
[29]
Dejonckheere, E., Bastian, B. Perceiving Social Pressure not to Feel Negative is Linked to a More Negative Self-concept. Journal of Happiness Studies, 2021, 22(2): 667–679.
Crossref Google Scholar
[30]
Yongju, Yu, . Perceived stress from interpersonal relations predicts suicidal ideation in Chinese university students: Roles of meaning in life and coping humor. Heliyon, 2023, 9(3): e14106.
Crossref Google Scholar
[31]
Zhang, P. Understanding digital learning behaviors: Moderating roles of goal setting behavior and social pressure in large-scale open online courses. Frontiers in Psychology, 2021, 12: 783610.
Crossref Google Scholar
[32]
Ford, M. B. Social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic as a predictor of daily psychological, social, and health-related outcomes. The Journal of General Psychology, 2021, 148(3): 249–271.
Crossref Google Scholar
[33]
Buhrmester, D., Furman, W., Wittenberg, M. T., Reis, H. T. Five domains of interpersonal competence in peer relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1988, 55(6): 991–1008.
Crossref Google Scholar
[34]
Huang, L. Y., Huang, J. R., Chen, Z. C., Jiang, W. W., Zhu, Y., Chi, X. L. Psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the brief interpersonal competence questionnaire for adolescents. Children, 2022, 10(1): 59.
Crossref Google Scholar
[35]
Cong Z., An L. Developing of security questionnaire and its reliability and validity. Chinese Mental Health Journal, 2004, 18(2): 97–9.
Google Scholar
[36]
Wen, Z. L., Hau, K. T., Marsh, H. W. Structural equation model testing: cutoff criteria for goodness of fit indices and chi-square test. Acta Psychologica Sinica, 2004, 36(2): 186-194
Google Scholar
[37]
Elodie, G. Effects of materialism on problematic smartphone dependency among adolescents: The role of gender and gratifications. International Journal of Information Management, 2020, 54: 102134.
Crossref Google Scholar
[38]
Schmitt, N., Kuljanin, G. Measurement invariance: Review of practice and implications. Human Resource Management Review, 2008, 18(4): 210–222.
Crossref Google Scholar
[39]
Davis, W. E., Hicks, J. A. Judgments of meaning in life, religious beliefs, and the experience of cognitive (dis)fluency. Journal of Personality, 2016, 84(3): 291–305.
Crossref Google Scholar
[40]
Zhang, H., Sang, Z. Q., -S Chan, D. K., Teng, F., Liu, M., Yu, S., Tian, Y. Sources of meaning in life among Chinese university students. Journal of Happiness Studies, 2016, 17(4): 1473–1492.
Crossref Google Scholar
Stress and Brain
Volume 3 Issue 2,
October 2023
Pages 96-107
DOI: 10.26599/SAB.2022.9060035
Cite this article:
Luo W, Li Z. Interpersonal Competence and Meaning in Life for University Students: A multi-group Model. Stress and Brain, 2023, 3(2): 96-107. https://doi.org/10.26599/SAB.2022.9060035

985

Views

166

Downloads

0

Crossref

Altmetrics
Received: 11 May 2023
Revised: 28 August 2023
Accepted: 14 September 2023
Published: 05 October 2023
© The Author(s) 2023

Creative Commons Non Commercial CC BY-NC: This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attributtion-NonCommercial 4.0 License (http://www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission.
Return