Empirical Assessment of the Relationship between Existential Vacuum, Meaning in Life, Depression, and Anxiety: Evidence from University Students
Keywords:
Existential vacuum, meaning in life, depression, anxiety, university students, empirical study, existential anxiety, mediation analysis, mental health, preventionAbstract
Understanding the psychological underpinnings of depression and anxiety is a persistent priority in mental health research. Recently, the existential vacuum—a concept denoting pervasive emptiness and a lack of life meaning—has attracted attention as a potential driver of psychological distress, especially among young adults. This empirical study investigates the association between existential vacuum, meaning in life, depression, and anxiety in a large, diverse sample of university students. Utilising the Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ), Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), the study examines not only the direct relationships between meaning and mental health but also the potential mediating role of existential anxiety. Statistical analyses, including correlation, regression, and mediation models, reveal that lower meaning in life and higher existential vacuum are significantly associated with increased levels of depression and anxiety. The findings offer empirical confirmation of the existential framework’s relevance to contemporary mental health and underscore the necessity of meaning-centred prevention and intervention strategies within higher education and youth-focused mental health services. This paper concludes by discussing implications for clinical practice, mental health policy, and future research in the context of a rapidly changing world.
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