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Having a
Higher Purpose in Life reduces risk of Death
among Older Adults
Newswise — Possessing a greater purpose in
life is associated with lower mortality
rates among older adults according to a new
study by researchers at Rush University
Medical Center. The study, published in the
June 15 issue of the journal, Psychosomatic
Medicine, is available online at
www.psychosomaticmedicine.org.
Patricia A. Boyle, PhD, and her colleagues
from the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center,
studied 1,238 community-dwelling elderly
participants from two ongoing research
studies, the Rush Memory and Aging Project
and the Minority Aging Research Study. None
had dementia.
Data
from baseline evaluations of purpose in life
and up to five years of follow-up were used
to test the hypothesis that greater purpose
in life is associated with a reduced risk of
mortality among community-dwelling older
persons.
Purpose in life reflects the tendency to
derive meaning from life’s experiences and
be focused and intentional, according to
Boyle.
After adjusting for age, sex, education and
race, a higher purpose of life was
associated with a substantially reduced risk
of mortality.
Thus,
a person with high purpose in life was about
half as likely to die over the follow-up
period compared to a person with low
purpose.
The association of purpose in life with
mortality did not differ among men and women
or whites and blacks, and the finding
persisted even after controlling for
depressive symptoms, disability,
neuroticism, the number of medical
conditions and income. During the study
period, 151 participants died.
“The finding that purpose in life is related
to longevity in older persons suggests that
aspects of human flourishing—particularly
the tendency to derive meaning from life’s
experiences and possess a sense of
intentionality and
goal-directedness—contribute to successful
aging,” said Boyle.
Significant associations with mortality were
found with three specific items on the
purpose of life questionnaire to determine
the study participants’ agreement with the
following statements: “I sometimes feel as
if I’ve done all there is to do in life;” “I
used to set goals for myself, but that now
seems like a waste of time;” and “My daily
activities often seem trivial and
unimportant to me.”
“We are excited about these findings because
they suggest that positive factors such as
having a sense of purpose in life are
important contributors to health,” said
Boyle.
The researchers note that knowledge of the
relationship of purpose of life with other
demographic characteristics is limited and
future studies are needed to examine whether
the association of purpose of life with
mortality might be modified by other
variables not measured in this study, such
as how religious a participant may be.
In addition, researchers suggest that future
studies should examine whether purpose in
life can be enhanced in older persons with
interventions.
“Although we think that having a sense of
purpose in life is important across the
lifespan, measurement of purpose in life in
older persons in particular may reveal an
enduring sense of meaningfulness and
intentionality in life that somehow provides
a buffer against negative health outcomes,”
said Boyle.
The Rush Memory and Aging Project, which
began in 1997, is a longitudinal
clinical-pathological study of common
chronic conditions of aging.
Participants are older persons recruited
from about 40 continuous care retirement
communities and senior subsidized housing
facilities in and around the Chicago
Metropolitan area. More than 1,200 older
persons are enrolled in the study.
The Minority Aging Research Study began in
2004 and is a study of risk factors for
cognitive decline in older Blacks.
Participants are recruited from
community-based organizations, churches, and
senior subsidized housing facilities in and
around the Chicago Metropolitan Area. More
than 350 older persons are enrolled in the
study.
This study was funded by the National
Institutes on Aging.
The authors thank the NIA for supporting
this work and are indebted to the
participants of the Rush Memory and Aging
Project and the Minority Aging Research
Study for their invaluable contributions to
aging research.
Boyle is a neuropsychologist in the Rush
Alzheimer’s Disease Center.
The Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center is one
of 29 Alzheimer’s disease research centers
across the country designated and funded by
the National Institute on Aging.
In addition to community-based research, the
center offers patient care services through
its outpatient clinic; it conducts numerous
clinical trials, and provides educational
programs, resources and early onset programs
for patients, family caregivers, and
healthcare professionals.
Rush University Medical Center includes the
674-bed (staffed) hospital; the Johnston R.
Bowman Health Center; and Rush University
(Rush Medical College, College of Nursing,
College of Health Sciences and the Graduate
College).
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