Laying the groundwork: A rapid review of existential therapy for young adults

Abstract

Existential psychotherapies have been found to be effective in helping geriatric or terminally ill populations come to terms with mortality, purpose and connection. However, it is unclear whether they are effective among contemporary young adults who face a growing burden of psychopathology, meaninglessness, and loneliness. As this population experiences similar but distinct existential concerns around purpose and connection, this rapid review aimed to consolidate and evaluate existing evidence around the effectiveness of existential psychotherapies among young adults. A hybrid qualitative analysis using inductive and deductive methods was used to examine the contemporary research literature for research involving existential psychotherapies and young adults (16-29 years old) published between 2011 and 2024. An online literature search was conducted across multiple databases to identify relevant literature, using keywords related to interventions, psychopathology and population. Identified literature were screened using the RAYYAN tool, then scrutinised for inclusion using the Quality Assessment with Diverse Studies system. Included studies were thematically analysed to identify common themes. The search identified 3876 studies from which nine underwent further analysis (Kappa score, interrater reliability, 0.26). Trial quality varied, from large-scale randomised controlled trials (RCTs) with clearly reported findings to smaller single-arm trials focusing on intervention feasibility. Three positive themes, each including multiple subthemes, were identified. Themes included impact on psychological well-being, personal empowerment, and the development of valuable interpersonal relationships with subthemes including but not limited to reductions in psychopathology, improved meaning in life and an emphasis on therapeutic and social relationships, respectively. Existing evidence around existential psychotherapies suggests that it can offer an effective approach towards enhancing holistic psychological well-being, decreasing psychopathology, positively influencing relationships, and empowering contemporary young adults. However, findings were largely from a small group of mostly feasibility studies, suggesting larger trials are necessary to investigate existential psychotherapy use among contemporary young adults.