Engagement in personally meaningful activities is associated with greater well-being. However, most studies use cross-sectional or recall methods, and the researchers pre-determine which activities are ‘meaningful.’ This study examined an idiographic measure of meaningful activity participation in relation to well-being. Participants (N = 160; M age = 43.3 years; 77% female) rated the meaningfulness of 46 daily activities at baseline and reported their activities on eight random days over the next 4 weeks. Half the participants also completed measures of meaning salience and mood on the same days. All participants reported on psychological well-being at baseline and 4-week follow-up. Meaningful activity participation was positively associated with meaning salience and positive mood. Average engagement in meaningful activities over 8 days was positively associated with subjective vitality, life satisfaction, and purpose in life at follow-up. An idiographic measure of meaningful activity participation may further be understanding of the relationship between meaningful activity participation and well-being. Abbreviations: ACT - Acceptance and Commitment Therapy; LET - Life Engagement Test; MALM - Meaningful Activity and Life Meaning; MAPA - Meaningful Activities Participation Assessment; PANAS - Positive and Negative Affect Schedule; PHQ-8 - Patient Health Questionnaire-8; SDT - Self-determination Theory; SVS - Subjective Vitality Scale; SWLS - Satisfaction with Life Scale; TOMS - Thoughts of Meaning Scale

Meaning and purpose in life are related to a reduced risk of mortality and cardiovascular events, and meaning has been established as a correlate of physical activity. However, it is not clear what mechanisms account for the relationship between meaning and physical activity. A cross-sectional analysis (N = 94) indicated that self-efficacy in improving physical fitness is a statistically significant mediator of the relationship between meaning and physical activity.

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is used widely in cancer populations, particularly among women, and has shown promise for addressing symptom and functioning outcomes. Few studies to date have evaluated CAM use and associations over time with symptoms and function among Latina breast cancer survivors. We administered a baseline (N = 136) and follow-up (n = 58) telephone survey in Spanish or English assessing Latina breast cancer survivor demographics, physical function, anxiety, depression, fatigue, satisfaction with social roles, and both CAM activities and devotional and spiritual practices. About one-third of our sample (35% baseline; 36% follow-up) reported using CAM (yoga, meditation, massage, or herbal/dietary supplements). We assessed devotional and spiritual practices separately from CAM (church attendance, prayer, religious groups, and reading devotional and religious texts); the majority of Latina survivors reported devotional and spiritual practices (80% baseline; 81% follow-up). At baseline, CAM demonstrated a positive association with better physical functioning and lower depression. In contrast, CAM use at the time of follow-up appeared to be related to lower levels of satisfaction with social roles and physical function. In longitudinal analyses, devotional and spiritual practices at baseline significantly predicted lower anxiety, depression, and fatigue at follow-up. Findings suggest CAM plays a complex and not always linear role in symptoms and function outcomes for Latina breast cancer survivors. These findings contribute to the literature on longitudinal CAM use and associations with symptom and functioning outcomes among Latina breast cancer survivors.

Introduction: We sought to determine the long-term use of mind-body medicine (MBM) skills after graduation from medical school. Methods: An online survey was sent to Georgetown University School of Medicine (GUSOM) graduates who completed at least one semester of a MBM skills training course. Using a quantitative–qualitative mixed-methods approach, we assessed the personal and professional practices of graduates, and identified factors that may influence practice/training after graduation. Results: Current personal practices were positively related to the level of the course completed and amount of home practice during medical school (N = 112). Over half the sample indicated they currently practice MBM and refer patients to MBM. Moreover, physician specialty and awareness of home institution MBM training was associated with MBM patient training and referral. Participants reported a dearth of MBM training at their home institutions, and provided qualitative insights about the personal and professional impact of MBM training as well as barriers to continued MBM practice. Conclusions: The results provide preliminary evidence that MBM training during medical school may be related over time to physician trainee self-care and patient care. Rigorous tests of these relationships should be conducted in future work.

Possible relations between religion, spirituality, positive psychology, and physical health have interested humans throughout history. Only recently have these relations become the object of scientific study. In this chapter, we conducted a nonsystematic, narrative review of the modest but growing empirical literature, which suggests that positive psychological constructs such as life satisfaction, positive affect, purpose/meaning, and optimism are generally predictive of better physical health and functioning. Similarly, religion and spirituality (R/S) variables including religious service attendance, religious/spiritual coping, religious orientation, and prayer have demonstrated relations with better health outcomes. These relations are sometimes complex and possibly influenced by methodological considerations. Several possible pathways to account for these relationships have been proposed, including behavioral processes, social support, and direct physiological pathways. Whether these relations are causal remains a perplexing question to resolve, due to methodological challenges inherent in the nature of the variables themselves and to the practical difficulties of examining these variables via experimental investigation and longitudinal analysis. The possibility that positive psychology constructs may account for associations between R/S and health deserves further exploration, ideally using experimental and prospective longitudinal methods.

This commentary describes the current state of psychosocial care for people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and their caregivers. We provide recommendations for developing a roadmap for future research based on existing literature and our group’s clinical and research experience to inform next steps to expand evidence-based psychosocial care for people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and their caregivers, with potential implications for a range of advanced illnesses.