A longitudinal study of dispositional hope as a pathway from existential concerns to inner peace

Existential concerns, an unavoidable aspect of human existence, are one of the key elements influencing people's quest for purpose in life. Individuals may experience inner turmoil and sorrow in this situation. However, hope may play a crucial part in mitigating this adverse circumstance, despite existential concerns, as it symbolizes the person's ability to cultivate optimistic hopes and beliefs toward the future. In this regard, the current study intends to investigate the longitudinal mediation role of hope between existential concerns and inner peace. The literature has never examined the linkages between these concepts and their design in a longitudinal study. A significant gap in the research was addressed in the current study by combining these factors for the first time and employing a longitudinal mediation analysis, which also avoided the drawbacks of mediational analysis in cross-sectional studies. As a result, by autoregressive analysis of the cross-lagged panel model in a half-longitudinal form, the connections among existential concerns, hope, and inner peace ideas are investigated. In the relationship between existential concerns and inner peace, the analysis's findings demonstrate the longitudinal mediation of hope. Existential concerns can be viewed as a normal state, yet they pose a threat to inner peace and necessitate optimism. If not, people may lose hope and experience inner turmoil as a result of existential concerns. Interventions with an existential viewpoint are therefore necessary to boost hope in this area.