Personal Values and Psychological Well-Being Among Emerging Adults: The Mediating Role of Meaning in Life

Background/Objectives: Emerging adulthood involves identity exploration, instability, and a sense of being “in-between” adolescence and full adulthood. This study examined whether growth-oriented values (openness to change and self-transcendence) are associated with psychological well-being among emerging adults, and whether meaning in life (presence and search) is related to these variables. Methods: The study included 200 participants (M = 21.90, SD = 2.48). The following measures were used: the Psychological Well-Being Scales, the Meaning in Life Questionnaire, and the Portrait Values Questionnaire. Correlation and multiple regression analyses were conducted. Results: All key variables (psychological well-being, presence of meaning, search for meaning, openness to change, and self-transcendence) were significantly positively correlated (r = 0.27–0.74, p < 0.01). The presence of meaning explained the associations between both openness to change (β = 0.22, 95% CI [0.50, 1.26]) and self-transcendence (β = 0.20, 95% CI [0.36, 0.91]) with psychological well-being, whereas the search for meaning was not a significant intervening variable in either model. Conclusions: These findings highlight the relevance of growth-oriented values and the presence of meaning in understanding psychological well-being among emerging adults. Longitudinal research is needed to clarify the directionality of these relationships.