Meaning in life among military hospital nurses: A latent profile analysis

A sense of meaning in life is an essential psychological asset for nurses, as it promotes resilience and well-being. With this cross-sectional study, conducted from January to June 2025, we examined meaning in life among military hospital nurses in Hubei Province, China. Using latent profile analysis, we classified nurses into three subgroups based on their meaning-in-life scores, and examined the link between life meaning and professional mission, along with how factors like gender, level of education, organizational structure, and psychological resilience predicted self-perceived meaning in life. The results revealed considerable differences in how nurses perceived meaning of life. Given these findings, nursing managers are encouraged to design targeted interventions that fit the demographic and psychological characteristics of each subgroup, with the goal of strengthening this essential psychological resource in clinical practice.