Meaning in life is a fundamental issue that has been studied widely in the human context for many centuries. In terms of health, meaning in life contributes to both physical and psychological well-being. It is well recognized that perceived meaning in life is a good buffer against stress in people facing stressful events. Moreover, positive meaning in life has been found to be negatively associated with depression and anxiety. Because nurses have a major role to play in promoting the health and well-being of their patients, meaning in life is an important concept worth further investigation in nursing research.

Older people, especially those living in long-term care facilities, often have difficulty finding meaning in life because of declining functional ability and separation from family. Maintaining relationships with other individuals has been identified as the main source of meaning in life in older persons (Hupkens et al., 2018).

In this issue of The Journal of Nursing Research, a study by Hung and Li explores factors related to meaning in life in a sample of 154 residents (aged from 64 to 99) living in six long-term care institutions in Taiwan. The results showed improved interactions between nursing assistants and patients to be the most significant predictor of self-perceived positive meaning in life among the residents. The training of nursing assistants in Taiwan has been focused on physical care. Only two hours in the current government-mandated 90-hour training program for nursing assistants are devoted to interpersonal relations and communication skills. To promote positive meaning in life among older adults living in long-term care institutions, strengthening the interpersonal skills of nursing assistants should be a top priority.

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