The latest research suggests that the relationships between the risk of contracting COVID-19, personal resources and subjective well-being have rather an indirect character and can include the occurrence of mediating factors related to meaning-making processes and stress experiences. Protection motivation theory offers a theoretical paradigm that enables these associations to be thoroughly investigated and understood. The current study aimed to examine the mediating roles of meaning-making and stress in the relationship of risk of contracting COVID-19 and personal resources (self-efficacy and meaning in life) with subjective well-being among healthcare workers. A total of 225 healthcare workers from hospitals, medical centres and diagnostic units completed a set of questionnaires during the first few months of the COVID-19 lockdown period (March–May 2020). The results revealed that greater self-efficacy and meaning in life were associated with higher cognitive and affective dimensions of subjective well-being, whereas a lesser risk of contracting COVID-19 was only associated with the higher affective dimension. The central finding demonstrated different mediating roles of stress and meaning-making in the relationship of risk of contracting COVID-19 and personal resources with the cognitive and affective dimensions of subjective well-being. This confirmed the applicability of meaning-oriented and stress management processes for understanding how healthcare workers’ well-being is affected during the COVID-19 pandemic.

health psychology report · volume 6(2), 8 original article background Meaning in life seems to play an important role at various stages of coping in cancer patients. It can influence the ways in which cancer patients perceive their illness and potential changes in beliefs and goals. The main aim of the current study is to examine how two dimensions -presence of and search for meaning -are related to illness perception and global meaning changes. participants and procedureThe research was conducted among 231 cancer patients (136 women and 95 men), between 27 and 86 years of age (M = 56.73, SD = 12.64). They were diagnosed with gastrointestinal cancer (stomach, colon, pancreas, liver, large intestine). The following research methods were used: the Meaning in Life Questionnaire, the Appraisal of the Disease Scale, and the Scale of Changes in Beliefs and Goals. resultsPresence of meaning was associated with illness perceptions, changes of beliefs, and changes of goals. In contrast, there were no statistically significant relations between search for meaning and illness perception. The cluster analysis showed that the patients who were in presence style less negatively perceived their illness than those in presence and search style. The former also experienced fewer disruptions in important beliefs and goals than the latter. In addition, the patients in presence style were characterized by less negative illness perceptions and fewer disruptions in beliefs and goals than their compeers in indifferent style. conclusionsHaving meaning in life is related to a more satisfactory image of the illness and fewer violations in the belief and goal system. Searching for meaning, even though accompanied by presence of meaning, is rather detrimental to illness perception and changes in beliefs and goals. The awareness of having a purpose and overarching aim in life helps cancer patients to interpret and organize their stressful experiences, and perceive the illness from a less negative perspective. key words meaning in life; cancer; illness perceptions; beliefs and goals

Adolescents have come to be greatly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing containment measures in recent months. The aim of the present study was to examine the relations among religiosity, meaning-making, fear of COVID-19, and subjective well-being within a moderated mediation model. Three hundred and sixteen late adolescents (173 women and 143 men) in Poland volunteered to take part in the study. The results show that meaning-making mediated relationships between religiosity and life satisfaction, religiosity and positive affect, and religiosity and negative affect. In addition, these mediation effects were moderated by the fear of COVID-19. Specifically, the indirect effects were stronger for adolescents with high fear than for those with low fear, which indicates that fear of COVID-19 serves as a ‘warning’ factor.

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Objective The character of the mediational relations between illness perception and affective symptoms often depends on the coping strategies used by patients. For example, these relationships may be moderated by meaning in life that plays a buffering role against the negative consequences of cancer. This study examined moderated mediation effects of meaning in life and coping on the relationship between illness perception and affective symptoms in cancer patients. Methods In this cross‐sectional research, 317 gastrointestinal cancer patients who were undergoing chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or combined therapy treatments were examined. They completed measures of illness perception, affective symptoms, meaning in life, and coping. Data were analyzed using SPSS software and the PROCESS macro. Results Illness perception was negatively associated with meaning in life and problem‐ and meaning‐focused coping but was positively associated with affective symptoms: fear, depression, and irritability. Two coping strategies—problem‐ and meaning‐focused—mediated the relationship between illness perception and affective symptoms. Meaning in life turned out to be a moderator of the indirect effects of illness perception on affective symptoms through problem‐ and meaning‐focused coping. Conclusions The relationship of illness perception with affective symptoms is embedded in moderated mediation effects of meaning in life and coping. It implies that emotional adjustment to the illness depends on the interplay between the ways in which cancer patients perceive their illness and the coping strategies used by them.