Meaning in Life in Individuals with Dysautonomia, 2025, Yeager

[Dolphin]

https://www.journalofhappinessandhealth.com/index.php/johah/article/download/137/54

Meaning in Life in Individuals with Dysautonomia

Matthew Yeager, Jennifer Lyke, and Zornitsa Kalibatseva
Department of Psychology, Stockton University, United States

The present mixed-methods study investigated the role of various predictors of meaning in life (MIL) in individuals with dysautonomia, a condition growing in prevalence with increasing reports of long-COVID (LC), Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), and similar manifestations.

Specifically, this study examined total autonomic symptom count, duration of symptoms, religious practice status (yes/no while living with the condition), and age as predictors of Search for and Presence of MIL.

In the sample, 50.8% reported LC or a similar post-viral syndrome as at least one contributing factor.

Participants (N = 305), aged 18-68 years (M = 34.09, SD = 10.98), were members of online dysautonomia support groups internationally.

Symptom duration and active religious practice were positively associated with Presence of MIL, whereas higher symptom count was negatively associated.

This suggests that those who have lived with the condition longer and those who practiced a religion while living with dysautonomia may have a greater capacity to find MIL.

Critically, higher symptom count was associated with less meaning.

Age was the only significant predictor of Search for meaning, with older participants reporting a lesser need to search.

Importantly, associations between the predictors and Presence of MIL did not differ significantly between etiological subgroups, indicating that these predictors relate to Presence of MIL similarly across groups with different etiological and symptomatic profiles.

Qualitative responses were analyzed thematically to contextualize and enrich quantitative findings.

Keywords: meaning in life, dysautonomia, long-COVID, religion, existential

 

[Trish]

And of course everyone knows already that the answer to the meaning of life is 42.

 

[Hutan]

While I have problems with the concept of Dysautonomia, after a quick skim, I thought this paper was ok. It would probably help a counsellor have some ideas about how to work with a person who has Long Covid. It acknowledges the reality of the symptom burden throughout, and does not suggest that better thinking will cure people.

Their aims seem focussed on helping people cope and adapt. They acknowledge that people are finding ways to be resilient in the face of profound suffering.

The theme "Acknowledging loss and finding new meaning" both supports prior work showing that many individuals eventually come to terms with their illness and adapt their sense of meaning, and helps contextualize the positive association between symptom duration and Presence of MIL, suggesting that the longer one lives with the condition, the better able they may be to develop new, adjusted sources of meaning. That is not to take away from the disabling nature of dysautonomia, which is evidenced in themes "Uncertain futures and narrowed worlds" and "Loss of meaning, identity, and self-worth."

The theme "Religion as a source of meaning, comfort and hope," aligns with the positive relationship between active religious practice and Presence of MIL; however, the accounts depicting a loss of faith and a sense of being cheated by God demonstrate why practicing religion may not be beneficial for all individuals.

Clinical and Existential Implications

Although the qualitative responses emphasize the detrimental effects of dysautonomia on existential well-being, they also illustrate the potential to rediscover meaning despite ongoing symptoms. Participants described seeking meaning through attainable pathways, such as advocating for others with similar experiences, engaging in religious or spiritual practices, and cultivating attitudes of acceptance, transcendence, and purpose.

This aligns with Frankl's logotherapy (1963), which proposes that meaning can be found in three main domains: (1) purposeful work or creative projects, (2)relationships with others, and (3) the attitude one adopts towards inevitable suffering. Participants' narratives captured profound experience of loss, particularly through forfeiting careers, valued activities, and social connections, which often led to isolation and an altered sense of identity. Yet, many described turning to faith, creativity, relationships, and advocacy to restore a sense of meaning and comfort amid their struggles.

These narratives illustrate existential resilience, a developing construct conceptualized as resilience grounded in a meaningful view of the world and one's place within it (Segersvärd et al., 2025). Existential resilience has been studied in the context of adverse events (e.g., wartime conditions, COVID-19 restrictions) and is theorized to help maintain a sense of order and protect against nihilism in the face of existential threats (Shevchuk et al., 2023).

In our sample, existential resilience was evident in participants' efforts to find new and adapted sources of meaning despite profound suffering, suggesting it may be a crucial therapeutic target for those with dysautonomia. Additionally, while the present study did not directly test Frankl's theory, the existential threat posed by dysautonomia suggests that future research should examine the utility of meaning-making and existential therapies.

 

[Utsikt]

I think we’re heading the wrong way if meaning of life is supposed to be a therapy target. Talking about your experiences might be perceived as helpful by someone, but I’d wager that talking to peers is by far the most impactful because it gives us something to reframe our lives around.

 

[Hutan]

I’d wager that talking to peers is by far the most impactful because it gives us something to reframe our lives around

And this paper could be used to support something around that idea. Because it found that people who had been ill longer had the highest chance of having come to terms with the illness and having adapted to it. That's hardly rocket science (and ignores survivorship bias in the people who are still around, alive and willing to answer annoying questions from researchers...).

But, if you wanted to get funding for a program where people who have been ill for years talk with newly diagnosed people, or for a program where people who have been ill for years talk to trainee counsellors to help them be useful, then you could use this paper as a reference.