Explaining Psychological Quality of Life Based on Psychological Capital and Meaning in Life with the Mediating Role of Hope
Keywords:
Psychological quality of life, psychological capital, meaning in life, hope, structural equation modelingAbstract
Purpose: The present study aimed to explain psychological quality of life based on psychological capital and meaning in life, with the mediating role of hope.
Methods and Materials: This study employed a descriptive-correlational design using structural equation modeling. The statistical population consisted of adults residing in Tehran, from whom 384 participants were selected through multistage cluster sampling based on G*Power estimation. Data were collected using standardized instruments including the World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF (psychological domain), the Psychological Capital Questionnaire (Luthans et al., 2007), the Meaning in Life Questionnaire (Steger et al., 2006), and the Adult Hope Scale (Snyder et al., 1991). Data analysis was conducted using SPSS-27 and AMOS-24. Preliminary analyses included descriptive statistics and Pearson correlations, followed by structural equation modeling to test direct and indirect relationships. Model fit was evaluated using indices such as CFI, TLI, and RMSEA, and indirect effects were examined using bootstrap resampling.
Finding: The results indicated that psychological capital had a significant positive effect on hope (β = 0.63, p < 0.001) and psychological quality of life (β = 0.29, p < 0.001). Meaning in life also significantly predicted hope (β = 0.41, p < 0.001) and psychological quality of life (β = 0.24, p < 0.001). Hope had a strong positive effect on psychological quality of life (β = 0.52, p < 0.001). Bootstrap analysis confirmed the significance of indirect effects, indicating that hope partially mediated the relationships between psychological capital and quality of life (β = 0.33, p < 0.001) and between meaning in life and quality of life (β = 0.21, p < 0.001). The proposed model demonstrated good fit (χ²/df = 2.34, CFI = 0.95, TLI = 0.94, RMSEA = 0.059).
Conclusion: The findings suggest that psychological capital and meaning in life are significant predictors of psychological quality of life, both directly and indirectly through hope. Hope functions as a key mediating mechanism that translates psychological and existential resources into enhanced well-being.
Downloads
References
Archuleta, A. J., Prost, S. G., & Dajani, M. A. (2025). Quality of Life Among Latino/a Adults: Examining the Serial Mediation of Network Acculturation, Psychological Acculturation, Social Capital, and Helping-Seeking. Behavioral Sciences, 15(3), 388. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15030388
Cai, L., He, J., Wu, Y., & Jia, X. (2023). The Relationship Between Big Five Personality and Quality of Life of People With Disabilities: The Mediating Effect of Social Support. Frontiers in psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1061455
Chen, N.-Y., Chen, K. H., Wang, Y., Tsai, H. H., Lee, W. C., & Weng, L. C. (2022). The Impact of Symptom Distress on Health-Related Quality of Life in Liver Cancer Patients Receiving Arterial Chemoembolization: The Mediating Role of Hope. BMC Gastroenterology, 22(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12876-022-02529-x
Chiracu, A., Cosma, G., Stepan, A.-R., Cosma, M., Corlaci, I., Călugăru, E. D. C., Voinea, F., Zăvăleanu, M., Burileanu, H. A., & Avramescu, T. E. (2023). Psychological Capital, Quality of Life, and Well-Being in Mother Caregivers of Individuals With Down Syndrome. Frontiers in psychology, 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1145104
Cho, H. J., Kang, K., & Park, K.-Y. (2023). Health-Related Quality of Life of Migrant Workers: A Systematic Literature Review. BMC public health, 23(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-15981-5
Choompunuch, B., Wuttaphan, N., & Suk-erb, W. (2025). Hope and Loneliness as Predictors of Quality of Life Among Rural Older Adults in Thailand: A Cross-Sectional Study. International journal of environmental research and public health, 22(8), 1189. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22081189
Chwaszcz, J., Wiechetek, M., Bartczuk, R., Niewiadomska, I., & Wośko, P. (2022). Determinants of Quality of Life in the COVID-19 Pandemic Situation Among Persons Using Psychological Help at Various Stages of the Pandemic. International journal of environmental research and public health, 19(10), 6023. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19106023
Diniz, I. V., Silva, I. P. d., Silva, R. A., José Cláudio Garcia Lira, N., Nascimento, J. A. d., Costa, I. K. F., Ana Elza Oliveira de, M., Simone Helena dos Santos, O., & Maria Júlia Guimarães Oliveira, S. (2022). Effects of the Quality of Life on the Adaptation of People With an Intestinal Stoma. Clinical Nursing Research, 32(3), 527-538. https://doi.org/10.1177/10547738211067006
Fong, T. C. T., Lo, T. L. T., & Ho, R. (2022). Indirect Effects of Social Support and Hope on Quality of Life via Emotional Distress Among Stroke Survivors: A Three-Wave Structural Equation Model. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.919078
Hong, Y., Zhao, J., Jian, Y., & Wang, H.-H. (2022). Quality of Life and Emergency Preparedness of MHO Staff: Role of Psychological Capital and Perceived Organizational Support. Journal of Health Organization and Management, 36(7), 875-891. https://doi.org/10.1108/jhom-05-2022-0130
Jurek, K., Niewiadomska, I., & Chwaszcz, J. (2024). The Effect of Received Social Support on Preferred Coping Strategies and Perceived Quality of Life in Adolescents During the Covid-19 Pandemic. Scientific reports, 14(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-73103-6
Kalaitzaki, A., Vozikaki, M., & Werner, P. (2024). Do Social and Psychological Resources Mitigate the Effects of Self-Perceived Negative and Positive Ageism on Older Adults' Quality of Life? https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-5342214/v1
Karim, A. (2025). Exploring the Role of Quality of Life as Intangible Capital in Shaping the Administrative Performance of University Leaders. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7164191/v1
Karimi, A., Mazhari, S. A., Mohammadi, E., Üyesi, Ö., Kalantari, S., Taebi, M., Hamidi, F., & Farhadi, B. (2025). Relationship Between Quality of Life and Suicide Risk in Iranian Cancer Patients: The Mediating Role of Religious Coping. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention, 26(7), 2601-2606. https://doi.org/10.31557/apjcp.2025.26.7.2601
Liu, Q., Chang, R., Fang, S., & Peng, J. (2024). Chain Mediating Role of Moral Values Identification and Positive Psychological Capital in the Relationship Between Meaning in Life and Crisis Vulnerability. Medicine, 103(39), e39781. https://doi.org/10.1097/md.0000000000039781
McLaren, H., Jones, M., & Patmisari, E. (2023). Multicultural Quality of Life: Experiences of a South Australian Muslim Community Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic. Indonesian Journal of Islam and Muslim Societies, 13(1), 57-84. https://doi.org/10.18326/ijims.v13i1.57-84
Meng, L. J., Gao, C., Wang, H.-C., Yasin, R., Huang, R., Zhao, Y., Ma, X., & Wen, Y. (2024). Positive Psychological Capital, Post-Traumatic Growth, Social Support, and Quality of Life in Patients With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: A Cross-Sectional Study. Lupus, 33(5), 470-480. https://doi.org/10.1177/09612033241238051
Nia, H. S., Lehto, R. H., Farhadi, B., She, L., Goudarzian, A. H., Fomani, F. K., & Mohamadinezhad, M. (2024). The Relationship Between Religious Well-Being, Existential Well-Being, Fear of Progression and Quality of Life in Patients With Cancer: The Mediating Role of Hope. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention, 25(3), 1087-1096. https://doi.org/10.31557/apjcp.2024.25.3.1087
Parviniannasab, A. M., Bijani, M., & Dehghani, A. (2022). The Mediating Role of Psychological Capital in Relations Between Spiritual Well-Being and Mental Health Among Nursing Students. BMC psychology, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-022-00935-0
Pourshahriar, H., Khalili, B., Shokri, O., & Fatehi, F. (2024). The Assessment of the Perceived Stress and the Quality of Life in the Patients With Myasthenia Gravis: the Mediating Role of the Psychological Capital and Social Support. Current Journal of Neurology. https://doi.org/10.18502/cjn.v23i2.16841
Ramli, A., Zain, R. M., Zain, M. Z. M., & Rahman, A. A. A. (2021). Environmental Factors and Academic Performance: The Mediating Effect of Quality of Life. 2082-2105. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-69221-6_150
Saavedra, J., Brzeska, J., Matías-García, J. A., & Sánchez, S. Á. (2023). Quality of Life and Psychiatric Distress in People With Serious Mental Illness, the Role of Personal Recovery. Psychology and Psychotherapy Theory Research and Practice, 96(2), 525-541. https://doi.org/10.1111/papt.12451
Saffari, M., Chang, K. C., Chen, J. S., Potenza, M. N., Yen, C. F., Chang, C.-W., Huang, P. C., Tsai, H. C., & Lin, C. Y. (2023). Sleep Quality and Self-Stigma Mediate the Association Between Problematic Use of Social Media and Quality of Life Among People With Schizophrenia in Taiwan: A Longitudinal Study. Psychiatry Investigation, 20(11), 1034-1044. https://doi.org/10.30773/pi.2023.0169
Salehi, N., Afrashteh, M. Y., Majzoobi, M. R., Ziapour, A., Janjani, P., & Karami, S. (2022). Mediating Role of Pain Self-Efficacy in the Relationship Between Sense of Coherence, Spiritual Well-Being and Self-Compassion With Quality of Life in Iranian Elderly With Cardiovascular Disease. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-2312272/v1
Shereda, H. M. A., Alhazmi, R., Kasemy, Z. A., Dawood, E., Singh, E. S. J., Alkhalaf, I., Alshehri, B., & Alanazi, T. D. M. (2025). Life Satisfaction and Psychological Wellbeing Among Medical Students: The Mediating Role of Psychological Capital. Frontiers in psychology, 16. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1614803
Soleimani, M. A., Zarabadi-Pour, S., Chan, Y. H., Allen, K. A., & Shamsizadeh, M. (2022). Factors Associated With Hope and Quality of Life in Patients With Coronary Artery Disease. Journal of Nursing Research, 30(2), e200. https://doi.org/10.1097/jnr.0000000000000476
Wang, C., Lin, S., Ma, Y., & Wang, Y. (2021). The Mediating Effect of Social Support on the Relationship Between Perceived Stress and Quality of Life Among Shidu Parents in China. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, 19(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12955-021-01726-8
Weis, J., Wecker, H., Arnold, A., Schuster, B., Ziehfreund, S., Tizek, L., Mittag, S., Biedermann, T., & Zink, A. (2023). Happiness Behind the Scenes: Associations Between Heuristic Happiness and Related Dimensions in Skin Diseases. Acta dermato-venereologica, 103, adv5284. https://doi.org/10.2340/actadv.v103.5284
Yeo, J. J., Chew, Q. H., & Sim, K. (2021). Resilience and Its Inter‐relationship With Symptomatology, Illness Course, Psychosocial Functioning, and Mediational Roles in Schizophrenia: A Systematic Review. Asia-Pacific Psychiatry, 14(2). https://doi.org/10.1111/appy.12486
Zou, Y., Qiu, Y., Guan, B., Fu, X., Wang, J., & Li, Y. (2022). Survey on Mental Health Status and Quality of Life and Correlation Among Patients With Permanent Stoma of Colorectal Tumor. Computational and Mathematical Methods in Medicine, 2022, 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/5792312
Downloads
Published
Submitted
Revised
Accepted
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Mona Roshani , Fatemeh Kalhor (Author); Leila Mohammadzadeh Nasrabadi (Corresponding author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
