Presentation Schedule
Gaining New Perspectives: An Effective Way to Promote Identity Reconstruction and Mental Health (105275)
Tuesday, 24 March 2026 16:00
Session: Poster Session 3
Room: Orion Hall (5F)
Presentation Type: Poster Presentation
Benefit finding (BF) refers to reappraising past stressful experiences and extracting any possible benefits. BF helps restore mental health ruined by negative experiences, especially those that are central to one’s identity. However, whether BF directly promotes mental health or whether identity reconstruction brought about by positive meaning-making promotes mental health has not yet been fully determined. To examine this question, this study considered different types of BF. A total of 142 Japanese adults (61 men, 81 women; Mage = 44.27±12.29 years) were asked to recall and describe a negative experience woven into the core of their life stories. They then completed a questionnaire regarding event centrality, benefit finding, identity re-establishment, and life satisfaction. An exploratory factor analysis identified five BF dimensions: (a) new perspectives and personal growth, (b) deeper relationships with others, (c) purpose in life, (d) true friendship, and (e) enhanced sensitivity toward family. Path analysis revealed that the more central negative experiences were to their life stories, the more benefits were extracted. However, irrespective of domain, BF did not directly contribute to life satisfaction. Regarding the indirect effect, although each BF dimension was positively and strongly correlated, only the dimension of “new perspectives and personal growth” promoted identity re-establishment, which, in turn, increased the level of life satisfaction. This study suggests that deriving benefits associated with gaining new perspectives and personal growth may be useful for promoting identity reconstruction and restoring mental health.
Authors:
Hitomi Watanabe, Kochi University, Japan
About the Presenter(s)
Dr Hitomi Watanabe is an associate professor of Kochi University, Japan.
See this presentation on the full schedule – Tuesday Schedule
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