An Investigation of the relationship between depression, meaning in life and adult hope

Depression is one of the most common mental health problems in the world, so identifying variables that are related to it is very important. The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between depression, meaning in life and hope. All 215 participants which were students were asked to complete the Beck Depression Inventory (1961), the Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ) (in press) and Adult Hope Scale (AHS) (2002). The data of the study were analyzed by using the Pearson correlation coefficient. The results showed that there is a significant negative correlation between depression with meaning life (r=-0.479, p<.01), Presence meaning in life subscale (r=-0.511, p<.01) and Search meaning in life subscale (r=-0.286, p<.01). Also, the statistically significant correlation exist between depression and adult hope (r=-0.484, p<.01). It was found positive significant correlation between subscales of hope and meaning in life. Attention to these factors to minimize depression and to promote the society general health would be helpful. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.