Meaning in life following service among post-9/11 military veterans: A latent growth mixture model analysis

Meaning in life refers to the "sense made of, and significance felt regarding, the nature of one's being and existence." Meaningful living promotes well-being, resilience, and personal growth. Yet, much remains unknown about how meaning changes over time and determinants of meaning, particularly during major life transitions. We identified distinct trajectories of meaning using latent growth mixture models and examined prospective predictors of class membership in a military veteran cohort assessed at multiple time points throughout the first 3 years after leaving service. Three trajectories were identified: consistently high meaning (89.5%; n = 7025), diminishing meaning (6.1%; n = 479), and strengthening meaning (4.4%; n = 348). Veterans with greater posttraumatic stress symptoms, depression symptoms, and moral injury experienced increased odds of a less adaptive trajectory (i.e. diminishing and/or strengthening vs. consistently high meaning), whereas veterans who reported greater psychological resilience, community relationship satisfaction, and intimate relationship satisfaction experienced lower odds of a less adaptive trajectory. Several gender differences were also observed. Results provide insight into veteran subgroups that are more likely to experience lower meaning after leaving military service and thus may benefit from additional support to reduce their risk for poor longer-term health and well-being outcomes.