Eudaimonic well-being that protects mental and physical health has received increasing attention. This investigation aimed to review which comprehensive instruments for measuring eudaimonic well-being were applied with clinical populations (reporting mental or physical illnesses), beyond Ryff's Psychological Well-Being Scale. Articles citing at least 1 of the measures of eudaimonic well-being identified by previous theoretical work were extracted from medical and psychological electronic databases and screened. Only investigations involving clinical populations were included and reviewed. An initial screening identified 5,065 articles using eudaimonic well-being measures, out of which only 28 articles encompassed clinical populations and could be included. Sixteen involved patients with mental disorders and 12 populations with medical conditions. In these articles, only 4 measures of eudaimonic well-being were used (Mental Health Continuum, Flourishing Scale, General Causality Orientations Scale, and Orientations to Happiness Subscales), out of the 12 currently available in literature. The Mental Health Continuum was the most used instrument, particularly in adults with depression, whose levels of eudaimonic well-being are impaired, but may be improved by specific interventions. Autonomy appeared to influence patients' motivation to treatment, both in mental and physical disorders. The need for a larger consensus regarding specific measures of eudaimonic well-being for clinical populations emerged. The importance of including assessment of positive functioning as an indicator of recovery in clinical domains is discussed.

Little is known about changes in existential dimensions of well-being (i.e., eudaimonic well-being) when becoming a parent, particularly in men. This study examined eudaimonic well-being during the transition to parenthood, considering depressive symptoms and gender differences. Fifty pregnant couples (n = 50 fathers-to-be; n = 50 mothers-to-be; age range 24-53 years) enrolled in maternity units during pregnancy ordinary check-ups, participated in the study. Ratings of eudaimonic well-being (Ryff’s Psychological Well-Being Scales) and depressive symptoms (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale) were collected prenatally and postnatally. In line with the study hypothesis, the results showed that having a child increased well-being in both parents. Surprisingly, well-being in fathers improved more than in mothers. Gender differences accounted for 4.6% of the variance in postnatal eudaimonic well-being, while prenatal levels of eudaimonic well-being accounted for 70%. Becoming a parent has important implications for eudaimonic well-being especially in fathers. Clinical and sociological implications of the findings are discussed.