The presence of meaning in life and character strengths as protective factors of anxious-depressive symptoms in adolescents from Spain and Russia during the COVID-19 pandemic

The presence of meaning in life (MiL) and character strengths (CS) are protective factors for adolescents’ mental health. The main objective of the present study was to explore transculturally the relationship between MiL and CS with anxiety and depression in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic amo...

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Main Authors: Svetlana Shub, Gabriel G. de la Torre, Alvaro Rodriguez-Mora, José M. Mestre
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2024-12-01
Series:International Journal of Adolescence and Youth
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/02673843.2024.2354920
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author Svetlana Shub
Gabriel G. de la Torre
Alvaro Rodriguez-Mora
José M. Mestre
author_facet Svetlana Shub
Gabriel G. de la Torre
Alvaro Rodriguez-Mora
José M. Mestre
author_sort Svetlana Shub
collection DOAJ
description The presence of meaning in life (MiL) and character strengths (CS) are protective factors for adolescents’ mental health. The main objective of the present study was to explore transculturally the relationship between MiL and CS with anxiety and depression in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic among adolescents. Adolescents (N = 577) aged 14 to 18 (319 Russians and 258 Spaniards) completed online questionnaires during the pandemic. The results showed that in both samples, zest, gratitude, and love were the most robust predictors of depression symptoms; zest, hope, and love in girls, and self-regulation, hope, and presence of MiL in boys more robustly predicted anxiety symptoms. The findings provide data on the resilience function of CS and the presence of MiL during the COVID-19 pandemic and have important preventive practical implications.
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series International Journal of Adolescence and Youth
spelling doaj-art-aea9d69175b54a859dc69cc8c3b0fe152024-12-05T17:43:44ZengTaylor & Francis GroupInternational Journal of Adolescence and Youth0267-38432164-45272024-12-0129110.1080/02673843.2024.2354920The presence of meaning in life and character strengths as protective factors of anxious-depressive symptoms in adolescents from Spain and Russia during the COVID-19 pandemicSvetlana Shub0Gabriel G. de la Torre1Alvaro Rodriguez-Mora2José M. Mestre3Faculty of Psychology, National University of Distance Education (UNED), Algeciras, SpainDepartment of Psychology, Universidad de Cadiz (UCA), Cadiz, SpainDepartment of Psychology, Universidad de Cadiz (UCA), Cadiz, SpainDepartment of Psychology, Universidad de Cadiz (UCA), Cadiz, SpainThe presence of meaning in life (MiL) and character strengths (CS) are protective factors for adolescents’ mental health. The main objective of the present study was to explore transculturally the relationship between MiL and CS with anxiety and depression in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic among adolescents. Adolescents (N = 577) aged 14 to 18 (319 Russians and 258 Spaniards) completed online questionnaires during the pandemic. The results showed that in both samples, zest, gratitude, and love were the most robust predictors of depression symptoms; zest, hope, and love in girls, and self-regulation, hope, and presence of MiL in boys more robustly predicted anxiety symptoms. The findings provide data on the resilience function of CS and the presence of MiL during the COVID-19 pandemic and have important preventive practical implications.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/02673843.2024.2354920Meaning in lifecharacter strengthsanxietydepressionadolescents
spellingShingle Svetlana Shub
Gabriel G. de la Torre
Alvaro Rodriguez-Mora
José M. Mestre
The presence of meaning in life and character strengths as protective factors of anxious-depressive symptoms in adolescents from Spain and Russia during the COVID-19 pandemic
International Journal of Adolescence and Youth
Meaning in life
character strengths
anxiety
depression
adolescents
title The presence of meaning in life and character strengths as protective factors of anxious-depressive symptoms in adolescents from Spain and Russia during the COVID-19 pandemic
title_full The presence of meaning in life and character strengths as protective factors of anxious-depressive symptoms in adolescents from Spain and Russia during the COVID-19 pandemic
title_fullStr The presence of meaning in life and character strengths as protective factors of anxious-depressive symptoms in adolescents from Spain and Russia during the COVID-19 pandemic
title_full_unstemmed The presence of meaning in life and character strengths as protective factors of anxious-depressive symptoms in adolescents from Spain and Russia during the COVID-19 pandemic
title_short The presence of meaning in life and character strengths as protective factors of anxious-depressive symptoms in adolescents from Spain and Russia during the COVID-19 pandemic
title_sort presence of meaning in life and character strengths as protective factors of anxious depressive symptoms in adolescents from spain and russia during the covid 19 pandemic
topic Meaning in life
character strengths
anxiety
depression
adolescents
url https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/02673843.2024.2354920
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