Purpose in life and reduced incidence of stroke in older adults: 'The Health and Retirement Study'

Kim, Eric S.; Sun, Jennifer K.; Park, Nansook; Peterson, Christopher

doi:10.1016/j.jpsychores.2013.01.013

Cited by 212 publications

(147 citation statements)

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“…Physically, higher purpose has been linked with a wide range of positive health outcomes. For example, people with higher purpose not only live longer, but they also have a reduced risk of debilitating conditions, such as stroke, myocardial infarction, loss of physical functioning, and Alzheimer's disease (10,(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)43). Biologically, higher purpose has been linked with a healthier profile of biomarkers, including lower levels of salivary cortisol, lower levels of soluble IL-6r (an important inflammatory factor), a lower waist-hip ratio, higher levels of HDL ("good" cholesterol), and healthier telomerase activity (22)(23)(24)(25)44).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A growing body of findings from longitudinal epidemiological studies show that purpose predicts reduced morbidity (e.g., reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment, as well as reduced risk of stroke and myocardial infarction) and extended longevity (10,(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21). Further work has linked purpose to better regulation of physiological systems (e.g., reduced inflammatory markers and cardiovascular risk factors) as well as brain-based mechanisms (e.g., insular cortex volume, reduced amygdala activation, sustained ventral striatum activation) (22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(28)(29)(30).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Purpose in life and use of preventive health care services

Kim

Strecher

Ryff

2014

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Purpose in life has been linked with better health (mental and physical) and health behaviors, but its link with patterns of health care use are understudied. We hypothesized that people with higher purpose would be more proactive in taking care of their health, as indicated by a higher likelihood of using preventive health care services. We also hypothesized that people with higher purpose would spend fewer nights in the hospital. Participants (n = 7,168) were drawn from the Health and Retirement Study, a nationally representative panel study of American adults over the age of 50, and tracked for 6 y. After adjusting for sociodemographic factors, each unit increase in purpose (on a six-point scale) was associated with a higher likelihood that people would obtain a cholesterol test [odds ratio (OR) = 1.18, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.08-1.29] or colonoscopy (OR = 1.06, 95% CI = 0.99-1.14). Furthermore, females were more likely to receive a mammogram/ X-ray (OR = 1.27, 95% CI = 1.16-1.39) or pap smear (OR = 1.16, 95% CI = 1.06-1.28), and males were more likely to receive a prostate examination (OR = 1.31, 95% CI = 1.18-1.45). Each unit increase in purpose was also associated with 17% fewer nights spent in the hospital (rate ratio = 0.83, 95% CI = 0.77-0.89). An increasing number of randomized controlled trials show that purpose in life can be raised. Therefore, with additional research, findings from this study may inform the development of new strategies that increase the use of preventive health care services, offset the burden of rising health care costs, and enhance the quality of life among people moving into the ranks of our aging society.purpose in life | meaning in life | well-being | health screening T hree factors converge to underscore the heightened importance of preventive health care services among United States adults. First, there is the rapidly aging population: by 2050, the number of United States adults over the age of 65 is estimated to double (1). Second, there is the rising cost of medical care: chronic illnesses and end-of-life issues that older adults face are expensive. The Congressional Budget office projects that spending on Medicare will nearly double as a share of gross domestic product (GDP), from 3.7% in 2012 to 7.3% by 2050 (2). Third, despite spending more on health care than any country in the world, United States adults generally have poorer health and lower life expectancies than those in other developed countries (3,4). This health disadvantage is not solely attributable to those who are poor and underprivileged, because even wealthy, educated Americans are in poorer health than their counterparts in comparable countries (3, 4).These troublesome realities could be offset by greater use of preventive health care services, which are known to enhance health and reduce health care costs. However, in 2007 the Brookings Institution estimated that only 4% of the $1.7 trillion spent on national health expenditures was for prevention (5). Older adults, in particular, use less prev...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Purpose in life and use of preventive health care services

Kim

Strecher

Ryff

2014

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

Self Cite

232

194

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“…Previous works have shown that purpose in life is independently linked to numerous positive health outcomes and healthy behaviors, as well as longevity (Kim et al 2013;Boyle et al 2009;Boyle et al 2010a;Boyle et al 2010b;Boyle et al 2012;Krause 2009;Roepke et al 2014). For example, having higher levels of purpose in life has been associated with a reduced risk of stroke (Kim et al 2013), Alzheimer's disease (Boyle et al 2010a;Boyle et al 2012), disability (Boyle et al 2010b), and all-cause mortality (Boyle et al 2009;Krause 2009). Purpose in life, though trait-like, is dynamic and research suggests change in this construct is induced by psychological and social influences.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Also, almost 40% of older adults suffer from a sleep disorder (Kim et al 2015;Jaussent et al 2011), with the most common primary sleep disorders in the elderly being sleep-disordered breathing, REM behavior disorder (RBD) and restless legs syndrome (RLS) (Ancoli-Israel 2009;Foley et al 2004;Kim et al 2013). In addition to older adults being more prone to sleep disturbances and disorders, risk appears to vary among racial groups.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Purpose in life is generally conceptualized as one's sense of meaning and directedness in his/her life, essentially having aspirations and goals for the future and feeling that experiences in life are meaningful (Ryff 1989;Ryff and Keyes 1995;Ryff 2014). Previous works have shown that purpose in life is independently linked to numerous positive health outcomes and healthy behaviors, as well as longevity (Kim et al 2013;Boyle et al 2009;Boyle et al 2010a;Boyle et al 2010b;Boyle et al 2012;Krause 2009;Roepke et al 2014). For example, having higher levels of purpose in life has been associated with a reduced risk of stroke (Kim et al 2013), Alzheimer's disease (Boyle et al 2010a;Boyle et al 2012), disability (Boyle et al 2010b), and all-cause mortality (Boyle et al 2009;Krause 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Is purpose in life associated with less sleep disturbance in older adults?

Turner

Smith

Ong

2017

Sleep Science Practice

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Background: Previous work has shown that purpose in life can be protective against numerous negative health outcomes including sleep disturbances. Given that sleep disturbances are common among older adults and African Americans, the aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between purpose in life, overall sleep quality, and the presence of sleep disorders in a community-based bi-racial sample of older adults. Methods: Participants were 825 non-demented older African Americans (n = 428) and Whites (n = 397) from two cohort studies, the Minority Aging Research Study (MARS) and the Rush Memory and Aging Project (MAP). Participants completed a 32-item questionnaire assessing sleep quality and symptoms of Sleep Apnea, Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS) and REM Behavior Disorder (RBD). Purpose in life was assessed with a 10-item measure modified from Ryff & Keyes's scales of Psychological Well Being. Results: In a series of hierarchical multiple linear regressions controlling for the demographic covariates of age, sex, race, and education, higher levels of purpose in life were associated with better sleep quality at baseline. Using longitudinal follow-up data, higher levels of purpose in life was associated with lower risk of sleep apnea at baseline, 1-year follow-up, and 2-year follow-up, as well as reduced symptoms of RLS at 1-year and 2-year follow-up. Conclusions: These findings provide support for the hypothesis that a higher level of meaning and purpose in life among older adults is related to better sleep quality and appears to be protective against symptoms of sleep apnea and RLS.

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

et al. 2019

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Key Points Question Does an association exist between life purpose and all-cause or cause-specific mortality among people older than 50 years participating in the US Health and Retirement Study? Findings This cohort study of 6985 adults showed that life purpose was significantly associated with all-cause mortality. Meaning Life purpose is a modifiable risk factor and as such the role of interventions to improve life purpose should be evaluated for health outcomes, including mortality.

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Purpose in life and reduced incidence of stroke in older adults: 'The Health and Retirement Study'

Cited by 212 publications

References 45 publications

Purpose in life and use of preventive health care services

Purpose in life and use of preventive health care services

Is purpose in life associated with less sleep disturbance in older adults?

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

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