Meaning in Life as a Mediator between Deliberate Rumination and Post-Traumatic Growth in Middle-Aged Adults with Traumatic Events

This study investigated whether meaning in life can mediate the relationship between deliberate rumination and post-traumatic growth among middle-aged adults who had experienced traumatic events. A nationwide online survey was conducted with 300 adults aged 40 to 65. Participants without traumatic experiences or who reported a low level of subjective distress were excluded, resulting in 248 valid cases for the final analysis. Data was analyzed using SPSS 22.0 and AMOS 18.0, employing descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and structural equation modeling. The findings revealed that deliberate rumination had a positive effect on finding meaning in life, and those that found meaning in life, in turn, were significantly and positively influenced in their post-traumatic growth. In contrast, the direct effect of deliberate rumination on post-traumatic growth was not significant, confirming that meaning in life fully mediated this relationship. As middle adulthood is considered a developmental stage in which individuals often redefine their life purpose, finding meaning in life may function as a key psychological resource that fosters growth following trauma. These results suggest that counseling and psychotherapy should move beyond mere rumination to interventions that actively explore and strengthen meaning-making. The implications, limitations, and directions for future research were discussed.