(PS1-D86) Predicting Purpose in Life for Middle Aged and Older Adults

Developing and maintaining the belief that one is living a purposeful life is a means of cultivating joy and thus an important variable to examine in middle-aged and older adults. Those who retain higher levels of purpose in later life tend to experience cognitive benefits and health benefits (Musich et el., 2018), such as having decreased risks of dementia and mild cognitive impairment (Sutin et al., 2021).
 

The current study hypothesized that cognitive control beliefs, perceived control over physical health, and engagement in health-promoting behaviors (both physical and cognitive activities) would predict purpose in life when controlling for chronic health conditions. Participants (N = 4,453) were middle-aged and older adults, ages 40 to 86 (Mean Age = 57.57, SD = 11.28) from the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study. Data were analyzed cross-sectionally from MIDUS II data (collected from 2004-2006).
 

A hierarchical linear regression model was used to evaluate these hypotheses. Number of chronic conditions were negatively associated with purpose in life (F(1,3585) = 113.79, p< .001, Adjusted R2 = .03, R2 change = .03, β = -.18). Perceived cognitive control, perceived control over health, and average engagement in physical and challenging cognitive activities predicted higher levels of purpose in life when controlling for the number of chronic conditions (F(5,3581) = 120.35, p< .001, Adjusted R2 = .14, R2 change = .11).
 

All individual variables examined significantly predicted purpose in life in middle aged and older adults, including perceived cognitive control (β = .223, p < . 001), perceived control over health (β = .079, p < .001), average engagement in physical activities (β = .134, p < . 001), and average engagement in challenging cognitive activities (β = .089, p < . 001). Future research will include longitudinal analyses to explore stability of purpose in life over time. Directional analyses, including path analyses, can be used to investigate whether cognitive control beliefs and health locus of control directly affect health behaviors and whether these behaviors directly affect purpose in life. The results of the current research support the importance of both behavioral and cognitive mechanisms for enhancing purposes of life in middle-aged and older adults. This suggests possible strategies of change for inclusion within interventions to prevent depression and cultivate joy.