Hopelessness, Presence of Meaning in Life, and Existential Concern: A Latent Profile Analysis
Hopelessness, Presence of Meaning in Life, and Existential Concern: A Latent Profile Analysis

Summary/Abstract: Objective: The present study uses the variables of hopelessness, the presence of meaning in life, and existential concern to obtain a broad conceptualization of suicide risk and aims to uncover distinct latent subgroups formed by these variables. It also examines the differences in levels of life satisfaction across these subgroups. Method: The participants were 348 university students (265 women and 83 men) selected by the convenience sampling method. Data were collected with “Existential Concerns Questionnaire,” “Meaning in Life Questionnaire,” “Beck Hopelessness Scale,” “Satisfaction with Life Scale,” and a demographic information form. Latent profile analysis was used to reveal the subgroups formed by the variables of hopelessness, presence of meaning in life, and existential concern. The difference in life standards between the resulting profiles was examined with auxiliary variable analysis. Results: The present study revealed four distinct profiles regarding suicide risk. Profile 1 was the largest group (45.7%) and was labeled as a no-risk group. Profile 2 (19.8%) was labeled as a high existential risk group. Profile 3 (23.3%) was labeled as a low risk group. Profile 4 (11.2%) was labeled as a high-risk group. In addition, the results showed significant mean differences in the levels of life satisfaction across profile memberships (Profile 1 > Profile 2, 3 > Profile 4). Conclusion: The results suggested the importance of practitioners being aware that suicide risk among youth may be grouped by different combinations of the variables hopelessness, presence of meaning in life, and existential concern, rather than on a continuum from low to high.

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