Purpose in life is one of the six dimensions of psychological well-being. It refers to the sense that life has meaning and direction, and that goals have been achieved or are attainable.Objective:To perform the semantic-cultural validation and internal consistency analysis of the 10-item Purpose in Life scale of Ryff and Keyes.Methods:Data were drawn from an eight-year follow-up of older adults aged ≥80 in the FIBRA Study, conducted in Campinas, Brazil.Results:The mean age of participants (N=187) was 83.81 (±3.60), mean number of years of education was 4.38 (±3.76), and mean income was 3.49 minimum wages (±2.61), comprising 125 (66.8%) females (mean purpose = 3.51 ±0.68) and 62 (33.2%) males (mean purpose = 3.58±0.60). There was no significant difference in the purpose between men and women or between educational levels. For age and income, purpose was higher in the 80- to 84-year-old group (younger age) and with income of 3-5 minimum wages (higher income). Cronbach’s alpha for the scale was 0.628, indicating moderate internal consistency.Conclusion:The Purpose in Life scale was translated, adapted for use in Brazil and applied in a sample of old-old adults. Purpose seemed to be influenced by age and income.

Resumo Propósito de vida (PV) é definido como o senso de que a vida tem sentido e intencionalidade, o qual desempenha papel orientador em relação às metas de vida e à tomada de decisões relativas ao uso dos recursos pessoais. Objetivos: reconhecer e analisar dados sobre PV e condições identificadas com bom envelhecimento ou com adaptação positiva no envelhecimento. Método: foi realizada revisão integrativa de publicações de periódicos com avaliação por pares, indexadas nas bases de dados PubMed/Medline, Scopus, Web of Science, PsycInfo e Scielo/BVS/Lilacs, com os termos “purpose in life” and “aging” no título, sem restrição de datas. Resultados: foram selecionados 27 artigos, 22 dos quais conduzidos no âmbito de grandes estudos longitudinais prospectivos, 3 de corte transversal e 2 experimentais, que revelaram associações robustas entre alta pontuação em PV e redução do risco para mortalidade, Doença de Alzheimer, doenças coronarianas e cerebrovasculares, incapacidades e distúrbios de sono; alto PV e desfechos positivos em saúde, cognição, regulação emocional, bem-estar subjetivo e senso de ajustamento; PV como variável moderadora, ou recurso de resiliência, entre riscos e adversidades e boa adaptação. São dados úteis à investigação e à intervenção envolvendo idosos longevos e vulneráveis.

This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the association between life satisfaction and purpose in the life of the elderly hydro gymnastic practitioners. Methods: A total of 92 older people of both sexes, who practice hydro gymnastics in the city of Maringá, State of Paraná, Brazil, participated in the study. A sociodemographic questionnaire, the Satisfaction with Life Scale and the purpose in life Questionnaire were used as instruments. Data analysis was carried out by using Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis test, and Spearman's correlation test, in addition to the Path Analysis (p <0.05). Results: The results showed a greater life satisfaction for the women comparing to the men (p = 0.023). Moreover, it was found that the elderly who perceived themselves with a better health condition obtained higher scores according to the purpose in life scale. Life satisfaction had a positive and moderate association (β = 0.24) with the purpose in the life of the elderly, which explains 6% of the variability. Conclusion: It was concluded that sex can be considered as an intervening factor when concerning life satisfaction, time of practice of hydro gymnastics and self-perceived health related to the purpose in life of the elderly. In addition, satisfaction with life was positively associated with the purpose in the life.

Objective To verify the association between purpose in life (PL) and the performance in advanced (AADL) and instrumental (IADL) activities of daily living. Methods Cross-sectional community-based study which analyzed data from the follow-up assessment of the FIBRA Study (Frailty in Elderly Brazilians) in the cities of Campinas and Ermelino Matarazzo (SP), Brazil, in 2016 and 2017. Participants were 187 community dwelling persons aged 80 years and older. The protocol included the application of a cognitive deficit screening test suggestive of dementia, an inventory assessing AADL, the Lawton and Brody scale (IADL), the Geriatric Depression Scale and the Ryff and Keyes’ (1995) Purpose in Life Scale. Results Participants had an average of 83.81 (±3.60) years, 4.38 (± 3.76) years of schooling, 3.49 minimum wages (±2.61) of income, 125 (66.8%) being women. Hierarchical linear regression analyzes showed that PV and depressive symptoms were significantly associated with a higher number of AADL (p=0.003) and no significant association with IADL scores (0.580), in a model adjusted for sociodemographic variables, self-rated health, cognitive performance and depression. Conclusions The results suggest that older adults with higher PL and lower number of depression symptoms are more likely to perform a higher number of AADL. This association was not observed for IADL, which were associated with age, sex, depression and cognitive performance. PL may have an impact on complex levels of functional status in the elderly, thus contributing to healthy aging.

OBJETIVO: Este estudo teve como objetivo investigar o propósito de vida de idosos de uma cidade do sul do Brasil e suas possíveis associações com a prática de atividade física. MÉTODOS: Estudo transversal realizado com 654 idosos usuários de atenção primária à saúde em uma cidade do sul do Brasil. Os instrumentos utilizados foram o Questionário Internacional de Atividade Física e a Escala Objetivo na Vida. A análise dos dados foi realizada pelos testes de Kolmogorov-Smirnov, Kruskal-Wallis, Mann-Whitney e coeficiente de correlação de Spearman (p < 0,05). RESULTADOS: Os resultados mostraram uma diferença significativa no propósito de vida de acordo com a idade (p = 0,003), a renda mensal (p = 0,001), a percepção de saúde (p = 0,020) e a medicação (p = 0,008). Houve uma correlação muito fraca entre o propósito de vida e os minutos de caminhada por dia (r =-0,13). CONCLUSÃO: Concluímos que variáveis sociodemográficas e condições de saúde, como percepção de saúde e medicamentos utilizados, respectivamente, podem ser considerados fatores intervenientes no propósito de vida dos idosos. Os resultados revelaram que a prática de atividade física não está associada ao propósito na vida.