Meaningful Engagement as a Predictor of Psychological Well-Being for Adults With Low Income

Importance: The activities that people engage in influence their well-being. Adults with low income have limited resources, which can affect their engagement in meaningful activities. Exploring the connection between meaningful engagement and well-being is an important step in providing occupational justice for this marginalized population.Objective: To examine whether engagement in meaningful activities uniquely contributes to well-being for adults with low income after controlling for demographic variables.Design: Cross-sectional exploratory study design.Setting: Community agencies serving adults with low income, a local library, and a university union hall in northwest Ohio.Participants: Adults with low income (N = 186).Outcomes and Measures: Participants completed a demographic questionnaire, the Engagement in Meaningful Activities Survey (EMAS), and the World Health Organization-5 Wellbeing Index (WHO-5). We examined the influence of demographics and EMAS on the WHO-5.Results: We identified a moderate correlation between the EMAS and WHO-5 (r = .52, p & LE; .05). Linear regression revealed an R2 = .27, F(7, 164) = 8.75, p < .001, with the EMAS and participant attributes as predictor variables. The R2 changed to .02 (p = .85) without the EMAS in the model.Conclusions and Relevance: Findings support the need for and use of meaningful activities to support well-being and health for adults with low income.