Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the mediating effect of meaning in life (the presence of meaning in life and the search for meaning in life) on the relationship between perceived stress and satisfaction with life among Korean Army soldiers. A total of 370 male soldiers (Mage=20.82 years, SD=1.18) completed the questionnaires, which were designed to measure three constructs, the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS), and the Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ). We found that the search for meaning in life was positively correlated with the presence of meaning in life. Meaning in life variables were negatively related to perceived stress and positively related to life satisfaction. Next, in a measurement model, which was constructed to assess whether the indicator variables loaded on their four latent variables, fit indices indicated a good fit of this measurement model. In addition, the mediating effect of meaning in life on the relationship between perceived stress and the satisfaction with life was more pronounced in the competitive model than in the research model. This indicated that the relationship between perceived stress and life satisfaction was significantly mediated by the presence of meaning in life and was not significantly mediated by the search for meaning in life itself. Instead, the search for meaning in life, with the presence of meaning in life as the primary mediator, indirectly affected the relationship between perceived stress and life satisfaction. Finally, the limitations and implications of this study were discussed.