Involvement in Sexaholics Anonymous and life satisfaction: The mediating role of meaning in life and hope

Abstract

Background and aims Some people are preoccupied with their sexual urges and fantasies and lose control over their sexual behaviors, which can cause adverse consequences for their health and well-being. One of the options available for individuals seeking treatment for compulsive sexual behavior disorder (CSBD) is a self-help group based on the twelve-step program. The main purpose of the current study was to examine the direct and indirect (through meaning in life and hope) relationships between involvement in Sexaholics Anonymous (SA) and life satisfaction. Methods The sample consisted of 80 Polish members of SA (72 men and 8 women) with a mean age of 38.96 years (SD = 10.56). The Sex Addiction Screening Test-Revised, the Meaning of Life Questionnaire, the Herth Hope Index, the Satisfaction with Life Scale, and items adapted from the Alcoholics Anonymous Involvement Scale were used to measure the study variables. Results Path analysis showed a direct positive relationship between SA involvement and life satisfaction. Moreover, the relationship between these variables was mediated by the presence of meaning in life and hope. Simultaneously, more severe symptoms of CSBD were related to lower levels of the presence of meaning in life and higher levels of the search for meaning in life, which, in turn, predicted lower levels of life satisfaction. Discussion and conclusions The results suggest that finding meaning in life and restoring hope partly underlie the relationship between SA involvement and life satisfaction.

Religious meaning system and life satisfaction: the mediating role of meaning in life among Polish people with multiple sclerosis

“…The specificity of a sample may be a moderator in this relationship. For example, in a sample of Sexaholics Anonymous from Poland, the search for meaning was negatively related to life satisfaction ( 75 ).…”

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“…Another study asserted that search for meaning in life would either predict increased suicidal ideation or be irrelevant to it (Kleiman & Beaver, 2013 ). It seems reasonable that search for meaning in life is positively related to greater depression symptom severity and lower happiness and life satisfaction (Park, 2010 ; Wnuk & Charzynska, 2022 ), and also positively related to negative psychological constructs like rumination and a feeling of a lack of personal growth (Steger et al, 2008 ). One study found that search for meaning in life is unrelated to suicidal ideation (Lew et al, 2019 ), while another reported that relationships between search for meaning in life and mental health depended on personal life events (Chen et al, 2021 ).…”

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Attitudes toward finitude in the cinema of Federico Fellini: Light on older adults

“…This conflict might explain his lifestyle. Indeed, people with meaning in life drink less alcohol (Copeland et al, 2020) and are more likely to be part of support groups for Sexaholics (Wnuk and Charzyńska, 2022). Instead, adults who still look for meaning in life often shown unhealthy drinking behavior (Copeland et al, 2020).…”