13 sources: 11 meta-analyses, 2 systematic reviews
Spiritual · Practice
Purpose Reflection and Writing
Guided reflective writing on what gives life direction: one way to carry out what the meaning-intervention trials studied; Manco 2021 reports an effect of SMD 0.85 against passive control and 0.32 against active control, and Vos 2015 large effects of meaning therapies on positive meaning.
Beta content: this dimension's review set is version 0.9-beta and upgrades in place after the Round-2 internal reviews.
2 of 13 sources behind this entry were read from the abstract only; they are marked in the sources list.
30 min · 1-3x per week
Beginner-friendlyHome
Before you start
If the user feels persistently worse, direct to professional support.
When to seek a professional
- Persistent hopelessness, emptiness, or a sense that life is meaningless lasting more than two weeks: encourage contact with a licensed mental-health professional
- Any thoughts of self-harm or suicide, or feeling life is not worth living: direct the user to a crisis line or emergency services immediately
- Acute existential or spiritual crisis causing marked distress or inability to function: refer to a counselor, chaplain, or clinician
- Signs the user is using reflection to avoid unresolved grief, trauma, or clinical depression: recommend professional support
How to do it
10-15 minutes of writing, 1-3 times per week
The research behind this entry establishes something about dose, but not these exact parameters; treat them as a practical way to apply the finding rather than as the finding itself.
Journal or notes appFor most adultsAny belief backgroundNo religious contentYoung adults
What the evidence says
What the sources say
This practice is one way to carry out what the meaning-intervention sources on the concept entry (spir.meaning-centered-interventions-work) studied. Manco 2021 (meta-analysis) reports interventions promoting meaning in life had an effect of SMD 0.85 against passive control and 0.32 against active control, with narrative approaches largest against active controls; Vos 2015 reports meaning therapies had large effects on positive meaning in life (d = 0.65); Vos 2018 reports meaning-centered therapies improved quality of life and reduced psychological stress; Ivandić 2017 (systematic review) found no evidence of effectiveness for brief workplace formats. The full account, source by source, is on the concept entry this practice links to (spir.meaning-centered-interventions-work).
Common misconceptions
- Purpose does not have to be singular or lifelong; it can evolve
- You do not need perfect prose - the reflection matters more than the writing quality
- A quiet or modest purpose is still a purpose
What we won't claim
- Do not prescribe, rank, or endorse any specific religion, deity, faith tradition, or belief system
- Do not claim these practices cure, treat, reverse, or prevent any disease or mental illness
- Do not make claims about an afterlife, the soul, the supernatural, or any metaphysical truth
- Do not present correlational or observational findings as proof that the practice causes health outcomes
- Do not position these practices as a substitute for medical care or psychological treatment
13 sources: 11 meta-analyses, 2 systematic reviews
- Agreement
- Direction recorded for 0 of 13 sources; not yet recorded for the rest.
- The claim's outcome
- Outcome not yet recorded
- Certainty
- No source states a certainty rating.
- Authors
- Sources share authors: J. Vos (first author of 2 sources); R. Diego-Cordero (first author of 2 sources); Juan Vega-Escano (senior author of 2 sources).
- How the sources were read
- Some sources are based on abstracts, not full texts.
What each source measured and concluded (13)
meta-analysis · 2021
Manco et al. (2021) — A Meta-Analytic Review of Interventions That Promote Meaning in Life
- What it measured
- Improvement in meaning in life (MiL)
- How it was read
- screened only, not extracted
- What the review says it includes
- Systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs
- Studies and participants, as stated
- 33 RCTs (k=35)
- Heterogeneity, as stated
- Effect size SMD=0.85 (95% CI 0.54-1.17) vs passive control and SMD=0.32 (0.09-0.55) vs active control; mindfulness largest vs passive (1.57), narrative largest vs active (0.61); considerable heterogeneity
meta-analysis · 2018
Vos et al. (2018) — The effects of psychological meaning-centered therapies on quality of life and psychological stress: A metaanalysis
- What it measured
- Quality of life and psychological stress
- How it was read
- screened only, not extracted
- What the review says it includes
- Meta-analysis
- Studies and participants, as stated
- 60 trials (total N=3,713): 26 RCTs (N=1,975), 15 non-randomized controlled (N=709), 19 non-controlled pre/post (N=1,029)
meta-analysis · 2015
Vos et al. (2015) — Existential therapies: a meta-analysis of their effects on psychological outcomes.
- What it measured
- Meaning, psychopathology (anxiety/depression), self-efficacy, physical well-being
- How it was read
- screened only, not extracted
- What the review says it includes
- Meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
- Studies and participants, as stated
- 15 studies included (of 21 eligible RCTs), total 1,792 participants
meta-analysis · 2021
Diego-Cordero et al. (2021) — The effectiveness of Spiritual interventions in the workplace for work-related health outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
- What it measured
- Work-related health outcomes
- How it was read
- based on the abstract, not the full text
- What the review says it includes
- Systematic review and meta-analysis (of RCTs)
- Studies and participants, as stated
- 7 articles in review, 6 in meta-analysis (from 2,832 studies)
- Heterogeneity, as stated
- Spiritual interventions improved workers' health outcomes vs controls (SMD=-1.42, 95% CI -1.98 to -0.86, p<0.001, I2=96%); yoga effective and stress reduced
- Heterogeneity, as stated
- Workplace spiritual interventions seem effective in improving workers' health, though high heterogeneity and few studies limit robust conclusions
meta-analysis · 2022
Diego-Cordero et al. (2022) — The efficacy of religious and spiritual interventions in nursing care to promote mental, physical and spiritual health: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
- What it measured
- Efficacy of religious/spiritual interventions on mental, physical, and spiritual health
- How it was read
- screened only, not extracted
- What the review says it includes
- Systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials (PRISMA/CONSORT/Cochrane)
- Studies and participants, as stated
- 18 RCTs for systematic review; 9 for meta-analysis (from 1308 publications)
meta-analysis · 2015
Gonçalves et al. (2015) — Religious and spiritual interventions in mental health care: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled clinical trials
- What it measured
- Impact of religious/spiritual interventions (RSI) on mental health outcomes
- How it was read
- screened only, not extracted
- What the review says it includes
- Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
- Studies and participants, as stated
- 23 studies (from 4,751 papers)
meta-analysis · 2024
Cho et al. (2024) — Spiritual nursing education programme for nursing students in Korea: a systematic review and meta-analysis
- What it measured
- Spiritual care competency.
- How it measured it
- Self-report questionnaires.
- How it was read
- read in full text
- What the review says it includes
- Systematic review and meta-analysis of 9 studies
- Studies and participants, as stated
- N=460 participants across 6 studies (for spiritual care competency); N=317 participants across 4 studies (for spirituality and spiritual well-being); N=143 participants across 2 studies (for existential well-being and self-esteem); N=153 participants across 2 studies (for spiritual needs)
- Heterogeneity, as stated
- Small number of studies included in the meta-analysis, leading to large heterogeneity.
meta-analysis · 2024
Kuhn et al. (2024) — Effects of Mantram Repetition on Spiritual Well-Being: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
- What it measured
- Spiritual well-being
- How it was read
- screened only, not extracted
- What the review says it includes
- Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized or quasi-experimental studies
- Studies and participants, as stated
- 7 studies; total N=556 (MR=272, comparison=284)
meta-analysis · 2018
Captari et al. (2018) — Integrating clients' religion and spirituality within psychotherapy: A comprehensive meta-analysis.
- What it measured
- Efficacy of R/S-tailored psychotherapy on psychological and spiritual functioning
- How it was read
- screened only, not extracted
- What the review says it includes
- Meta-analysis of outcome studies
- Studies and participants, as stated
- 97 outcome studies (N=7,181)
meta-analysis · 2016
Weiss et al. (2016) — Can We Increase Psychological Well-Being? The Effects of Interventions on Psychological Well-Being: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
- What it measured
- Psychological well-being (Ryff scales or MHC-SF)
- How it was read
- screened only, not extracted
- What the review says it includes
- Meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
- Studies and participants, as stated
- 27 studies; 3,579 participants
meta-analysis · 2020
Koydemir et al. (2020) — A Meta-Analysis of the Effectiveness of Randomized Controlled Positive Psychological Interventions on Subjective and Psychological Well-Being
- What it measured
- Subjective and psychological well-being
- How it was read
- based on the abstract, not the full text
- What the review says it includes
- Meta-analysis (of randomized controlled studies)
- Studies and participants, as stated
- 68 studies, 16,085 participants
systematic review · 2017
Ivandić et al. (2017) — A systematic review of brief mental health and well-being interventions in organizational settings.
- What it measured
- Effectiveness of brief mental health and well-being interventions
- How it was read
- screened only, not extracted
- What the review says it includes
- Systematic review of RCTs and quasi-experimental studies
- Studies and participants, as stated
- 11 brief interventions and 9 corresponding common interventions
systematic review · 2023
Peters et al. (2023) — Moderators and mediators of effects of interventions to reduce stress in hospital employees: A systematic review.
- What it measured
- Stress or mental well-being intervention outcomes
- How it was read
- screened only, not extracted
- What the review says it includes
- Systematic review of moderators and mediators (RoB 2, ROBINS-I)
- Studies and participants, as stated
- 15 studies (22 moderators, 10 mediators)
Key sources (13)
Every source below is shown with its study design and links to the original study. This is the audit trail.
meta-analysisA Meta-Analytic Review of Interventions That Promote Meaning in Life
meta-analysisThe effects of psychological meaning-centered therapies on quality of life and psychological stress: A metaanalysis
meta-analysisExistential therapies: a meta-analysis of their effects on psychological outcomes.
meta-analysisThe effectiveness of Spiritual interventions in the workplace for work-related health outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
meta-analysisThe efficacy of religious and spiritual interventions in nursing care to promote mental, physical and spiritual health: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
meta-analysisReligious and spiritual interventions in mental health care: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled clinical trials
meta-analysisSpiritual nursing education programme for nursing students in Korea: a systematic review and meta-analysis
meta-analysisEffects of Mantram Repetition on Spiritual Well-Being: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
meta-analysisIntegrating clients' religion and spirituality within psychotherapy: A comprehensive meta-analysis.
meta-analysisCan We Increase Psychological Well-Being? The Effects of Interventions on Psychological Well-Being: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
meta-analysisA Meta-Analysis of the Effectiveness of Randomized Controlled Positive Psychological Interventions on Subjective and Psychological Well-Being
systematic reviewA systematic review of brief mental health and well-being interventions in organizational settings.
systematic reviewModerators and mediators of effects of interventions to reduce stress in hospital employees: A systematic review.
“Abstract only” means the review read that paper’s abstract, not its full text; “screened only” means it was included at re-screening and not extracted. Both stay in the trail with their DOI, because how a source was read is part of the audit.
Explore all 299 studies in Spiritual →
The full evidence base this focus area draws on, every study with its design and DOI.What it is for
Find more meaning and directionUnderstand myself better