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. 2021 Jan 26:11:599109.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.599109. eCollection 2020.

The Mediating Role of Meaning in Life in the Effects of Calling on Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms and Growth: A Longitudinal Study of Navy Soldiers Deployed to the Gulf of Aden

Jeong Hoon Seol  1 , Yonguk Park  1 , Jinsoo Choi  1 , Young Woo Sohn  1
Affiliations

The Mediating Role of Meaning in Life in the Effects of Calling on Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms and Growth: A Longitudinal Study of Navy Soldiers Deployed to the Gulf of Aden

Jeong Hoon Seol et al. Front Psychol. .

Abstract

This study examined the mediating role of meaning in life in the effect of calling on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and posttraumatic growth (PTG) among navy soldiers of the Republic of Korea deployed to the Gulf of Aden, Somalia. Participants responded to the questionnaire survey three times (pre-deployment, deployment, and post-deployment) at 4-month intervals. From the first, second, and third surveys, data were collected for 223, 195, and 103 respondents, respectively. Results showed that calling had a negative effect on PTSD, fully mediated by meaning in life, whereas calling had a positive effect on PTG, partially mediated by meaning in life. Our findings suggest that calling acts as a positive psychological resource for maintaining the meaning in life throughout stressful events experienced during deployment, thereby reducing posttraumatic stress symptoms and promoting post-deployment psychological growth. Finally, theoretical and practical implications and the need for follow-up studies are discussed.

Keywords: calling; deployed soldier; meaning in life; post-traumatic growth; post-traumatic stress.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Research model.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Structural model of calling, meaning in life, PTSD, and PTG.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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