How does meaning in life predict proactive coping? The self-regulatory mechanism on emotion and cognition

This study examined the effectiveness of a photographic intervention method on meaning in life (MIL) and further investigated the self-regulatory mechanism responsible for the effect of MIL in the promotion of proactive coping.

Participants were 145 Chinese adults (M_age  = 27.82; 71.3% female), who were randomly assigned into one of three conditions: An intervention (taking photos and writing expressively), a taking-photos-only control, or an assessment-only control. MIL, positive affect, future temporal focus, and proactive coping were measured before and after the intervention, with follow-up assessments conducted 1 week and 1 month later. Additionally, daily assessments were conducted during the intervention week.

MIL improved daily in the intervention condition, an effect that was also found post-intervention and at follow-up. Significant increases in positive affect, future temporal focus, and proactive coping were also observed after the intervention. Hierarchical linear modeling demonstrated that daily MIL positively predicted daily future temporal focus and positive affect. Furthermore, longitudinal mediation analysis confirmed that future temporal focus and positive affect mediated the relationship between MIL and proactive coping.

MIL's self-regulatory mechanism is reflected in both cognitive (future temporal focus) and emotional (positive affect) dimensions, which promotes proactive coping with future stressors.