The Mediating Role of Positive Affect in the Relationship between a Sense of Meaning and Life Satisfaction in Individuals with Severe Visual Impairment

OpenAlex İngilizce

Visual impairment (VI), a severe reduction in visual sensitivity, is an important public health problem with significant economic and social burdens. VI has been linked to poorer well-being and mental health markers due to activity loss, functional declines, and social isolation. Increasing meaningfulness and positive mood states are critical reservoirs in maintaining well-being. Nevertheless, there are inconsistent findings on the association between the presence of meaning and positive affect, and very limited studies have existed in the context of VI. To fulfill this gap, in this study, we first aimed to examine the relationships among meaning in life dimensions, life satisfaction, and positive and negative affect, and secondly to find out the mediator role of positive affect in the relationship between life satisfaction and the presence of meaning. Thus, 388 individuals with VI (120 female and 268 male) with a mean age of 35.92 (SD = 11.40) participated in this study. The Meaning in Life Questionnaire, the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, and the Satisfaction with Life Scale were administered to all the participants. The mediation test analysis demonstrated that positive affect partially mediated the relationship between a sense of meaning and life satisfaction. This finding suggests that individuals with IV experiencing a sense of meaning are more likely to feel positive, which, in turn, become more satisfied with their lives. Positive affect accounted for 87.4% of the total relation between the presence of meaning and life satisfaction (Frazier et al., 2004). Thus, clinicians can focus on increasing meaning sources in life that would create positive moods to increase life satisfaction in individuals with VI.