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

The Association Between Lifestyle Factors and COVID-19 Among Older Adults in Southern California: The Loma Linda Longevity Study

Amid a global aging trend, particularly notable in the U.S., there is a growing focus on achieving enhanced longevity and well-being. We evaluated the association between lifestyle factors (sleep, diet, and healthy lifestyle index) and COVID-19 infection in an older adult population in San Bernardino and Riverside counties in Southern California, the United States. A sample of 380 older adults ≥75 years old were surveyed cross-sectionally and self-reported lifestyle behaviors and COVID-19 infection. The results revealed that half the participants reported COVID-19 infection. Participants who slept less than 7 hours or more than 8 hours/night had higher odds of COVID-19 infection than those who slept 7-8 hours/night (OR = 1.62, 95% CI: 1.03, 2.55). Healthy lifestyle behaviors were significantly associated with reduced COVID-19 infection (OR = 0.61, 95% CI: 0.40, 0.92). In conclusion, adequate sleep and healthy lifestyle behaviors may be protective against COVID-19 infection among older adults and should be investigated further.

Crisis of Faith and Sleep Quality in the United States: A Literal Dark Night of the Soul?

A crisis of faith is an intrapersonal struggle with ultimate meaning that occurs when one's supramundane reality is called in question. We propose a theoretical model which suggests that a crisis of faith will contribute to poorer sleep quality by undermining a general sense of meaning and purpose in life, especially among women. We use national survey data from the Wave 5 of the Baylor Religion Survey United States (N = 1395). Ordinary least squares regression models with robust standard errors are utilized. Sobel-Goodman mediation techniques are used to test the proposed mediating pathway. Our results suggest that a crisis of faith is associated with lower sleep quality, and that this pathway is partially mediated by a lower sense of meaning and purpose in life. Finally, we found that the relationship between a crisis of faith and lower sleep quality was weaker for women. We discuss the implications of our results and suggest how future research may explore the relevance of a crisis of faith for well-being as well as other aspects of the human condition.

Contributing to 'a sense of purpose' - Evaluating consumer recovery progress after attending a therapeutic-recreation intervention programme: A quantitative analysis

INTRODUCTION

The recommended objective for mental health plans and policies is the adoption of recovery approaches to mental healthcare. Mental health recovery is no longer defined by symptom resolution but as a journey towards a meaningful life from the consumer's own perspective. Recovery approaches focus on consumers' strengths, feelings of well-being and the achievement of personal goals. Designing recovery-oriented interventions is crucial for supporting people in their personal recovery journey.

AIM

This study sought to evaluate how attending a recovery-oriented intervention impacts the recovery of attending people living with serious mental illness.

METHODS

A quasi-experimental approach was utilised to examine changes in self-reported recovery progress in a purposive sample of consumers living with enduring mental illness (N = 105). Recovery progress was evaluated via the Recovery Assessment Scale - Domains and Stages (RAS-DS). Data were collected at entry and exit to a therapeutic recreation programme grounded in principles of recovery-oriented care and social contact theory. Pre-post scores were analysed via a repeated-measures multivariate analysis of variance (RM-MANOVA) per the four RAS-DS recovery domains.

RESULTS

After attending the therapeutic recreation programme, consumer recovery scores significantly increased in the functional, personal, and social recovery RAS-DS domains as measured by 'Doing Things I Value', 'Looking Forward', and 'Connecting and Belonging' (respectively). No changes were observed to consumers' clinical recovery progress, as assessed via the recovery domain 'Mastering my Illness'.

CONCLUSION

The results of this study demonstrate that therapeutic recreation camps can provide a recovery-based approach to mental healthcare, with positive effects on the three areas of: a purposeful life; connection and belonging; and optimism and hope. Recovery Camp has been previously identified by the Productivity Commission as having potential person-centred recovery benefits for mental health consumers. The results of this study now establish these benefits as evidence based and can be used to guide mental health practice and policy for the implementation of therapeutic recreation camps for mental health recovery.

Testing the Reciprocal Relationship Between Social Networks and Purpose in Life Among Older Adults: Application of a Random Intercept Cross-Lagged Panel Model

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to examine if there are longitudinal reciprocal effects between social network size and purpose in life among older adults. Methods: Using data from the National Health and Aging Trends Study, the sample included 1485 male and 2058 female adults 65 years and older. We first computed t-tests to assess gender differences in social network size and purpose in life. In order to examine the reciprocal effects between social network size and purpose in life over four time points (2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020), a RI-CLPM (Model 1) was computed. In addition to the main model, two multiple group RI-CLPM analyses (Model 2 and 3) were computed to test the moderated gender effect on the relationship with models estimating unconstrained and constrained cross-lagged parameters. Results: The results of the t-tests denoted significant gender differences in social network size and purpose in life. The results indicated that Model 1 fit the data well. The carry-over effects of social networks and purpose in life and spill-over effect from wave 3 purpose in life on wave 4 social networks were significant. There were no significant differences between the constrained and unconstrained models testing for moderated gender effects. Discussion: The findings of the study highlight the significant carry-over effect of purpose in life and social network size over four years and the positive spill-over effect from purpose in life on social network size at the subsequent wave, which only appeared at the last time point.

Within-Person Temporal Associations Among Self-Reported Physical Activity, Sleep, and Well-Being in College Students

OBJECTIVE

A holistic understanding of the naturalistic dynamics among physical activity, sleep, emotions, and purpose in life as part of a system reflecting wellness is key to promoting well-being. The main aim of this study was to examine the day-to-day dynamics within this wellness system.

METHODS

Using self-reported emotions (happiness, sadness, anger, anxiousness) and physical activity periods collected twice per day, and daily reports of sleep and purpose in life via smartphone experience sampling, more than 28 days as college students ( n = 226 young adults; mean [standard deviation] = 20.2 [1.7] years) went about their daily lives, we examined day-to-day temporal and contemporaneous dynamics using multilevel vector autoregressive models that consider the network of wellness together.

RESULTS

Network analyses revealed that higher physical activity on a given day predicted an increase of happiness the next day. Higher sleep quality on a given night predicted a decrease in negative emotions the next day, and higher purpose in life predicted decreased negative emotions up to 2 days later. Nodes with the highest centrality were sadness, anxiety, and happiness in the temporal network and purpose in life, anxiety, and anger in the contemporaneous network.

CONCLUSIONS

Although the effects of sleep and physical activity on emotions and purpose in life may be shorter term, a sense of purpose in life is a critical component of wellness that can have slightly longer effects, bleeding into the next few days. High-arousal emotions and purpose in life are central to motivating people into action, which can lead to behavior change.

Loneliness, perceived isolation and sleep quality in later life. Longitudinal evidence from a population-based German study

OBJECTIVES

To date, there is restricted knowledge regarding the association between loneliness, perceived social isolation and sleep quality based on longitudinal studies. Our aim was therefore to clarify the association between loneliness, perceived social isolation and sleep quality stratified by sex using a longitudinal approach.

METHODS

Longitudinal data (wave 5 and wave 6) were used from a nationally representative sample of community-dwelling individuals ≥ 40 years in Germany. In our analytical sample, n equaled 8784 observations. The Bude and Lantermann tool was used to quantify perceived social isolation and the De Jong Gierveld tool was used to measure loneliness. Relying on key items of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, sleep quality was assessed.

RESULTS

Increases in loneliness were associated with worsening sleep quality (in men: in two outcomes; in women: in all three outcomes). Moreover, in men, increases in perceived social isolation was associated with decreases in overall sleep quality (β = 0.10, p < 0.01), but not with the other outcomes. In contrast, perceived social isolation was not associated with changes in any of the outcome measures in women.

CONCLUSIONS

Increases in loneliness were particularly associated with worsening sleep quality among women, whereas the overall sleep quality decreases when perceived social isolation increases in men. Efforts to reduce perceived social isolation (men) and loneliness (in men, but particularly in women) can contribute to sleep quality in individuals aged 40 years and over in Germany.

What makes life purposeful? Identifying the antecedents of a sense of purpose in life using a lagged exposure-wide approach

Aims

Prior research documents strong associations between an increased sense of purpose in life and improved health and well-being outcomes. However, less is known about candidate antecedents that lead to more purpose among older adults.

Methods

We used data from 13,771 participants in the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) — a diverse, national panel study of adults aged >50 in the United States, to evaluate a large number of candidate predictors of purpose. Specifically, using linear regression with a lagged exposure-wide approach, we evaluated if changes in 61 predictors spanning physical health, health behaviors, and psychosocial well-being (between t₀;2006/2008 and t₁;2010/2012) were associated with purpose four years later (t₂;2014/2016) after adjustment for a rich set of baseline covariates.

Results

Some health behaviors (e.g., physical activity ≥1x/week [β = 0.14, 95% CI: 0.09, 0.19]), physical health conditions (e.g., stroke [β = −0.25, 95% CI: −0.40, −0.10]), and psychosocial factors (e.g., depression [β = −0.21, 95% CI: −0.27, −0.15]) were associated with subsequent purpose four years later. However, there was little evidence that other health behaviors, physical health conditions, and psychosocial factors such as smoking, drinking, or financial strain, were associated with subsequent purpose.

Conclusions

Several of our candidate predictors such as volunteering, time with friends, and physical activity may be important targets for interventions and policies aiming to increase purpose among older adults. However, some effect sizes were modest and contrast with prior work on younger populations, suggesting purpose may be more easily formed earlier in life.

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Factors that lead to increased purpose in life in older adults remain unclear.

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We leveraged a large and prospective cohort of US adults aged >50.

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We evaluated associations between 61 predictors and subsequent purpose in life.

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Some health/well-being factors were associated with purpose in life 4 years later, but not others.

Purpose Should Be in the Eye of the Holder, not the Researcher

Researchers have discussed how best to define and measure purpose in life for decades, and this debate has been reinvigorated by recent work by Burrow et al. (2021), in their discussion of how to capture purpose development within a broader ecological context. However, in their commentary, Bronk and Damon (2021) have suggested that researchers also need to consider whether the individual's stated purpose in life merits development. We suggest here that multiple concerns present whenever researchers are placed in the seat of making decisions regarding whether an individual's purpose is "worthwhile," and how in turn this strategy may do more harm than good.

Scientific and Ethical Mandates in the Study of Purpose

We appreciate the letter by Hill and Pfund about our commentary and the opportunity to respond to it. It is exactly this type of interchange that advances understanding and clarity of communication in the scholarly community. The object of our commentary (Bronk & Damon, 2021, “What makes a purpose ‘worth having’) was a thoughtful Human Development article by Burrow et al. (2021) entitled “Are all purposes worth having?” It should be clear from the titles of our commentary and the original article that the question explored by both pieces is how to determine whether a purpose chosen by a young person is worth having. The question is not “What makes a purpose a purpose?” Yet the authors of the present letter intermingle the two questions. Our response to their letter explains the important distinction between the two questions and summarize our views on each.

Association of physical activity and positive thinking with global sleep quality

This study examined the association of different intensity levels of physical activity and positive thinking with a global sleep quality among college students. The research question was: to what degree were the different intensity levels of physical activity and positive thinking significantly associated with the global sleep quality among college students? We recruited students, who enrolled in regular physical education classes during a fall semester at a major public university. 553 students signed the consent form and indicated their voluntary participation in this study. The final data set for analysis consisted of 403 college students with the mean age of 19.01 years ± 1.559 years (217 males vs. 186 females) based on the results of data screening. They completed three questionnaires: International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and Positive Thinking Scale (PTS) during a regular physical education class. The multiple regression model revealed that vigorous-intensity physical activity, positive thinking, and negative thinking were collectively and individually associated with the Global PSQI sleep quality (F = 19.389, p = .000), explaining 12.8% of the total variance in the Global PSQI sleep quality for the total sample. College students' engaging in vigorous intensity level of physical activity, and having a good level of positive thinking and a low level of negative thinking were both collectively and individually linked to the Global PSQI sleep quality.

Sense of Purpose in Life and Markers of Hearing Function: Replicated Associations across Two Longitudinal Cohorts

INTRODUCTION

A sense of purpose in life is a psychological resource that is associated with healthier outcomes. The present research examines whether a greater sense of purpose in life is associated with subjective and objective markers of hearing health and whether hearing acuity contributes to the association between purpose and episodic memory. We sought to evaluate whether these associations were replicable across 2 independent samples.

METHODS

Participants in the Health and Retirement Study (N = 14,291) and the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (N = 8,844) reported on their purpose in life and perceived hearing quality at baseline. Hearing acuity was measured using an audiometer 2-4 years later, and episodic memory was measured at baseline and 6-8 years later.

RESULTS

In both samples, higher purpose in life was associated with better hearing quality measured concurrently, lower risk of either subjective or objective hearing impairment, and hearing acuity accounted for some of the longitudinal relation between sense of purpose and better episodic memory.

DISCUSSION

Across samples, measures, and analytical approaches, the present research indicates replicable associations between sense of purpose in life and hearing health. It further indicates that hearing may be one factor that associates purpose with better episodic memory.

To drink, or to exercise: That is (not) the question! Daily effects of alcohol consumption and exercise on well-being

Drinking alcohol and exercising are two of the most popular ways of dealing with stress. Despite the fact that they often co-occur, few studies have examined the role of the two activities together in everyday well-being. The current research aimed to investigate the dynamics between these two daily activities and various indices of well-being in a natural environment by using a daily diary method and ecological momentary assessment. We asked 478 adults to record their alcohol intake, exercising activity, and momentary well-being, three times a day for 2 weeks. Significant detrimental effects of drinking alcohol and beneficial effects of exercising on well-being were observed on the next day, whereas no significant effect of well-being was found on the likelihood of drinking and exercising on the second day. Furthermore, sleep quality was identified as one of the factors influencing the changes of well-being induced by the drinking and exercising engaged in the previous day. The present research allows us to deepen our understanding of the lagged relationship between the daily activities of drinking alcohol/exercising and well-being and demonstrates the underlying mechanism for the observed effects. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Sense of purpose in life predicts greater willingness for COVID-19 vaccination

RATIONALE

Despite the clear public health significance of herd immunity to COVID-19, a host of individual differences influence willingness to get vaccinated. One factor likely to motivate individuals is the extent they have a sense of purpose in life, based on the health correlates of purpose and purposeful individuals' desire to return to their pre-pandemic environments.

OBJECTIVE

The current study examined sense of purpose as a predictor of COVID-19 vaccination willingness in the United States immediately following the initial approval of a COVID-19 vaccine in the United States in 2020.

METHODS

A nationwide sample of U. S. adults (N = 2009) completed a poll including information on their sense of purpose in life, demographic factors, and depressive symptoms, immediately following the initial approval of a COVID-19 vaccine in the United States in 2020. In addition, they reported on how willing they would be to get the vaccine, assuming that the costs would be covered, as well as their motivations to get the vaccine.

RESULTS

Multiple regression analyses found that sense of purpose predicted greater willingness to get vaccinated, even when accounting for demographic factors, political affiliation, and psychological wellbeing. Adults higher on sense of purpose reported greater importance of getting the vaccine for personal health, the health of others, and to return to regular activities. Exploratory analyses also suggest that purpose may provide a stronger impetus to vaccinate among those in age groups associated with lower risk for severe COVID-19 complications.

CONCLUSIONS

Although cross-sectional in nature, the current findings suggest sense of purpose in life may be an important factor in encouraging vaccination. Implications are discussed regarding how purposeful messaging may yield greater vaccination rates among individuals who otherwise may be less motivated due to health concerns.

Relationships between Mindfulness, Purpose in Life, Happiness, Anxiety, and Depression: Testing a Mediation Model in a Sample of Women

Mindfulness is connected to positive outcomes related to mental health and well-being. However, the psychological mechanisms that account for these relationships are largely unknown. A multiple-step multiple mediator structural equation modeling (SEM) model was tested with mindfulness as the independent variable; purpose in life and behavioral activation as serial mediators; and happiness, anxiety, and depression as outcome measures. Data were obtained from 1267 women. Higher mindfulness was associated with higher levels of happiness and lower anxiety and depression symptoms. The association of mindfulness with the outcome variables could be partially accounted for by purpose in life and behavioral activation. The SEM model explained large proportions of variance in happiness (50%), anxiety (34%), and depression (44%) symptoms. Mindfulness is associated with both a sense of purpose in life and engagement in activities, which are also connected with positive outcomes. Moreover, having purposes in life is linked to higher levels of behavioral activation.

Purpose Among Youth From Low-Income Backgrounds: A Mixed Methods Investigation

Theoretical and empirical research lead to conflicting perspectives on whether youth from low-income backgrounds are likely to have access to lives of purpose. To explore this issue, this study used data collected during the 2016-2017 academic year from a sample of Southern California youth. Findings suggest (a) youth from low-income communities are as likely as youth from middle-income communities to report leading lives of purpose; (b) purpose among low-income youth is associated with many of the same indicators of positive development as it is among middle-income youth; and (c) youth from low-income backgrounds encounter personal hardships that, in the presence of familial support and other developmental assets, can inspire purpose. Implications for purpose-fostering interventions among low-income youth are discussed.

Meaning in life and risk of cognitive impairment: A 9-Year prospective study in 14 countries

BACKGROUND

A meaningful and purpose-driven life is associated with better health outcomes. We test whether meaning in life is associated with risk of cognitive impairment using data from a large, multi-national study.

METHODS

Participants (N = 22,514) were from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). Participants from 14 countries reported on their meaning in life. Cognitive impairment was derived from performance on cognitive tasks administered at baseline and at up to three follow-up waves (waves 2-6 assessed between 2010-2015).

RESULTS

Lack of meaning in life was associated with a more than 20 % increased risk of incident cognitive impairment over the up to 9-year follow-up (Hazard Ratio = 1.24; 95 % Confidence Interval = 1.17-1.31). Further, compared to participants who reported often feeling meaning in life, participants who reported never feeling meaning in life were at an approximately 75 % increased risk of impairment (Hazard Ratio = 1.75, 95 % Confidence Interval = 1.19-2.57). The association between meaning in life and risk of cognitive impairment was apparent across four regions of Europe (Northern, Southern, Eastern, Western) and in Israel and was not moderated by sociodemographic characteristics.

CONCLUSIONS

Reporting lower meaning in one's life is associated with risk of incident cognitive impairment. Meaning may be a potential target of intervention for healthier cognitive aging.

Sense of Purpose in Life and Cardiovascular Disease: Underlying Mechanisms and Future Directions

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

In this review, we synthesize recent research that has reported associations of a higher sense of purpose in life with reduced risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD), and then explore mechanisms that might underlie these associations.

RECENT FINDINGS

Accumulating observational and experimental evidence suggests that having a higher sense of purpose might influence CVD risk through three pathways: (1) enhancement of other psychological and social resources that buffer against the cardiotoxic effects of overwhelming stress; (2) indirect effects through health behaviors; and (3) direct effects on biological pathways. A sense of purpose in life is emerging as an independent risk factor for incident CVD. A key remaining question is whether purpose causally effects CVD risk; in the "Future Research Directions" section, we focus on work needed to establish causality and provide suggestions for next steps.