What is life worth living for? A systematic review on meaning in life and meaning in work as protective factors for healthcare professionals' wellbeing.

Abstract

The wellbeing of healthcare professionals is a topic of utmost importance in public health, given the close connection between healthcare professionals' mental health and their ability to provide high-quality care. A promising protective resource is the concept of "meaning in life" (MiL), defined as the extent to which people give meaning and purpose to their lives. A systematic review was conducted according to the PRISMA statement on three databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science), searching for MiL and its influence on wellbeing among healthcare professionals. Only quantitative and qualitative research papers published in English-language peer-reviewed journals from 2000 to 2022 were considered eligible. Initially, 842 papers were retrieved. After the removal of duplicates, screening (title, abstract, full text) and quality check, 19 articles were included in the review. A narrative summary and description of the findings were given. The main findings demonstrate that a variety of sociodemographic variables (i.e. age, gender) and personality traits (i.e. self-esteem, attachment style, functional coping strategies, optimism, hope, social support) can positively impact fostering MiL, which, in turn, prevents psychological malaise. Moreover, for the majority of healthcare professionals, their work serves as a crucial source for sustaining personal MiL. Thus, workplace health promotion interventions should focus on the dimension of MiL, which can potentially act as a protective factor to preserve and improve the wellbeing of healthcare workers.