Meaning Making and Psychological Distress in Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood

Abstract: This study investigated how meaning making is related to psychological distress in adolescents and emerging adults in Sweden. Participants were gymnasium students (n = 63, 48 women, 15 men), aged 15- 19, and university students (n = 39, 33 women, 5 men, 1 other), aged 19-28. Meaning making was coded from turning point narratives. The results indicated that meaning valence, but not sophistication of meaning, was related to psychological distress. Gender differences in sophistication of meaning and meaning valence, and relations between higher sophistication of meaning and more psychological distress in adolescents, were found. The results are discussed in relation to previous research and to the idea that different aspects of meaning making may have different implications for psychological distress.