Association Between Life Purpose and Mortality Among US Adults Older Than 50 Years

Alimujiang, Aliya; Wiensch, Ashley; Boss, Jonathan; Fleischer, Nancy L.; Mondul, Alison M.; McLean, Karen; Mukherjee, Bhramar; Pearce, Celeste Leigh

doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.4270

Cited by 141 publications

(116 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…Loneliness and a lack of occupation may lead to the loss of the life purpose which is a key element to activate elderly individuals. It has been shown that a stronger purpose in life among subjects over 50 years is associated with a decreased all-cause and some cause-specific mortality (25). Purposeful living may potentially improve both social and psychological domains of individual's functioning, and thus, this should be a task for community-based senior organizations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multidimensional and Physical Frailty in Elderly People: Participation in Senior Organizations Does Not Prevent Social Frailty and Most Prevalent Psychological Deficits

Sacha

Wieczorowska‐Tobis

2020

Front. Public Health

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The study explores how the involvement in community-based senior organizations affects the prevalence of multidimensional and physical frailty among community dwelling elderly people. Materials and Methods: The group of 1,024 elderly people (270 males) over the age of 65 years (mean age 72.6 ± 6.3 years; range 65-93 years) took part in this study. The subjects completed a questionnaire regarding multidimensional (i.e., the Tilburg Frailty Indicator, TFI) and physical frailty (i.e., the FRAIL scale), as well as factors associated with frailty and participation in senior organizations. Results: The prevalence of multidimensional frailty (if at least 5 points in the TFI) was 54.6%, and the prevalence of physical frailty (if at least 3 points in the FRAIL scale) and a non-robust status (if any point in the FRAIL scale was positive) was 6.3 and 52.9%, respectively. The most prevalent frailty deficits were missing other people (66.6%), feeling nervous or anxious (65.9%), and feeling down (65.5%). Members of senior organizations presented a lower prevalence of multidimensional and physical frailty comparing with non-members. This was mainly caused by a lower prevalence of physical deficits and problems with memory; however, the prevalence of social deficits was similar in both groups. Senior organizations had no influence on the most widespread frailty deficits, i.e., missing other people, feeling nervous or anxious, and feeling down. Conclusions: Multidimensional frailty and physical non-robust status are common among people over the age of 65 years. Participation in senior organizations is associated with lower risk of physical frailty; however, it has no effect on social frailty and the most prevalent psychological deficits. This information has important implications for practical management with senior problems and may influence community strategies concerning elderly people.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multidimensional and Physical Frailty in Elderly People: Participation in Senior Organizations Does Not Prevent Social Frailty and Most Prevalent Psychological Deficits

Sacha

Wieczorowska‐Tobis

2020

Front. Public Health

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“…They also show higher degrees of self-compassion, self-efficacy, and resilience ( 33 , 43 ). Meaningfulness is robustly associated with lower mental distress ( 36 , 43 – 47 ), higher physical health ( 48 – 51 ), and lower mortality risk ( 49 , 50 , 52 – 54 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Meaning in Life and Self-Control Buffer Stress in Times of COVID-19: Moderating and Mediating Effects With Regard to Mental Distress

2020

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Background As evidenced by several studies, mental distress increased substantially during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this period, citizens were asked to exercise a high degree of self-control with regard to personal and social health behavior. At the same time, we witnessed an increase of prosocial acts and shared creative expressions, which are known to serve as sources of meaning. Meaning in life and self-control are acknowledged psychological resources. Especially in times of crisis, meaning in life has been shown to be a crucial factor for resilience and coping. However, threatening and stressful situations can also jeopardize existential security and trigger crises of meaning. The present study aimed to document levels of acute COVID-19 stress and general mental distress in Germany and Austria during the lockdown and in the weeks thereafter. In order to identify potential risk factors related to demographics and living conditions, their associations with COVID-19 stress were analyzed exploratively. The primary objective of the study, however, was to investigate the buffering effect of two psychological resources—meaningfulness and self-control—with regard to the relation between acute COVID-19 stress and general mental distress. Finally, a potential aggravation of mental distress due to the occurrence of crises of meaning was examined. Method A cross-sectional survey was conducted online during lockdown (survey group 1) and the subsequent weeks characterized by eased restrictions (survey group 2). A total of N = 1,538 German-speaking participants completed a questionnaire battery including a novel measure of acute COVID-19 stress, meaningfulness and crisis of meaning (SoMe), self-control (SCS-KD), and a screening of general mental distress, measured by core symptoms of depression and anxiety (PHQ-4). In a first step, associations between living conditions, demographics, and COVID-19 stress were explored. Second, a moderation and a mediation model were tested. Meaningfulness, a measure of presence of meaning in life, as well as self-control were proposed to serve as buffers in a time of crisis, thus moderating the relation between acute COVID-19 stress and general mental distress (double moderation). Crisis of meaning, operationalizing an experienced lack of meaning in life, was proposed to mediate the relationship between acute COVID-19 stress and general mental distress, with an assumed moderation of the association between COVID-19 stress and crisis of meaning by survey group (lockdown versus eased restrictions after lockdown), and a hypothesized moderation of the link between crisis of meaning and general mental distress by self-control (dual moderated mediation). Results COVID-19 stress was slightly right-skewed. Scores were higher during lockdown than in the weeks thereafter. The rate of clinically significant general mental distress was high, exceeding prevalence rates from both the general population and clinical samples of t...

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“…By contrast, eudaimonic theories, such as Psychological Wellbeing theory (PWB; Ryff, 1995), emphasise purpose and meaning in life. Intriguingly, recent epidemiological research on the United States Health and Retirement Study has identified associations between stronger life purpose and lower mortality (Alimujiang et al, 2019), highlighting an intimate connection between mental wellbeing and physical health. Ryff (1995) proposed six components of PWB which include; self-acceptance, positive relationships with others, autonomy, personal growth, environmental mastery and purpose in life.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Building Wellbeing in People With Chronic Conditions: A Qualitative Evaluation of an 8-Week Positive Psychotherapy Intervention for People Living With an Acquired Brain Injury

et al. 2020

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Research indicates that Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) is associated with significant and chronic impairment across multiple areas of functioning including physical, cognitive, emotional and behavioral domains. Whilst impairments associated with ABI can be ameliorated, cure is seldom possible. The emergence of positive psychology reflects a paradigm shift in health and wellbeing research, highlighting the role of character strengths, positive emotions, meaning, and resilience. Positive psychology interventions have been demonstrated to improve wellbeing in a variety of populations, although research investigating the impact of positive psychotherapy for people living with ABI are sparse. Here we characterize the experience of an 8-week positive psychotherapy intervention for 13 people living with ABI including four mentors and nine participants using thematic analysis of transcripts collected during mini-groups and one-to-one interviews. Six main themes were identified including empowerment, social opportunity, coping, cultivation of positive emotion, consolidation of skills and barriers. Results indicated that wellbeing can be promoted and improved in individuals with ABI. Recent theoretical developments in wellbeing science highlight scope to improve the intervention by connecting individuals to their communities and spending time in nature.

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Association Between Life Purpose and Mortality Among US Adults Older Than 50 Years

Cited by 141 publications

References 38 publications

Multidimensional and Physical Frailty in Elderly People: Participation in Senior Organizations Does Not Prevent Social Frailty and Most Prevalent Psychological Deficits

Multidimensional and Physical Frailty in Elderly People: Participation in Senior Organizations Does Not Prevent Social Frailty and Most Prevalent Psychological Deficits

Meaning in Life and Self-Control Buffer Stress in Times of COVID-19: Moderating and Mediating Effects With Regard to Mental Distress

Building Wellbeing in People With Chronic Conditions: A Qualitative Evaluation of an 8-Week Positive Psychotherapy Intervention for People Living With an Acquired Brain Injury

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