RESUMEN

Having a sense of purpose in life predicts better maintenance of cognitive function in older adulthood and reduced risk of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia. However, little research has examined its influence on the rate of cognitive decline and length of cognitive healthspan. This study evaluated the role of sense of purpose on the risk and timing of transitions between normal cognition, MCI, and dementia. Older adults from the Memory and Aging Project (MAP; n = 1821) and the Health and Retirement Study (HRS; n = 10,542) were followed annually for 19 years and biennially for 12 years, respectively. Multistate survival models assessed whether sense of purpose predicted transitions across normal cognition, MCI, dementia, and death. More purposeful older adults had lower risk of developing MCI (HR = 0.82 in MAP; HR = 0.93 in HRS), higher likelihood of cognitive improvement, and longer cognitively healthy life expectancies. Results suggest sense of purpose may extend the cognitive healthspan.

RESUMEN

To clarify whether changes in frequency of going out due to the COVID-19 pandemic affect ikigai (sense of purpose in life) and mental health in Japanese middle-aged and older adults. In a questionnaire survey mailed to 16,866 adults aged > 40 years in Japan in September 2020, 7,973 responses were received (response rate, 47.3%) in October 2020. Following exclusions, data from 6,978 individuals (50.6% female, mean age 67.8 ± 12.2 years) were available for analysis. Respondents were categorized based on changes in frequency of going out, reflecting changes in social and/or physical activity, during the pandemic compared with before it: the previously active group went out often before but less often during the pandemic; the remained active group continued going out often; and the inactive group continued not going out often. Whether these changes affected the respondents' ikigai and mental health was investigated. The previously active group had a significantly higher proportion of individuals with decreased ikigai during the pandemic than the other groups. Mental health score decreased in all groups during the pandemic, but more so in the previously active group (-3.21), followed by the inactive and then the remained active groups (-1.45 and -1.28, respectively). Previously active individuals showed the greatest decline in ikigai and mental health among the three groups. These findings suggest that continuing to engage in appropriate physical and social activities, including going out, while following appropriate infection control measures, even under restrictions, can help people maintain ikigai and mental health.

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RESUMEN

Late life is still often characterized as a time of loss and decline. The current study moved beyond this view, using both the resilience framework and the life story approach to highlight the rich life experiences of older adults. Doing so created an opportunity to explore perspectives on sense of purpose in life, from the vantage point of old age. The study had two central questions. That is, how have older adults drawn on their sense of purpose across their lives, and what factors led to the development of a sense of purpose? Following guidelines for the consensual qualitative research method (CQR; Hill et al., The Counseling Psychologist, 25(4), 517-572, 1997; Hill & Knox, 2021), in-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 older women and men (aged 60 - 100 years) and transcribed for analysis. The CQR method revealed seven domains in the interviews. Three domains were relevant to the first research question, including: overcoming life challenges to pursue purpose, perspective-taking to maintain purpose, and purpose as part of one's religion. Four domains provided insights on the second research question: life background influencing purpose, shifts in purpose across life, fulfilling purpose across life, and obstacles to pursuing purpose in life. Findings highlighted how older people use sense of purpose as a guide in the face of life's inevitable challenges. They also revealed the unique life story paths that lead to the development of purpose across individuals' lifetimes. The implications of maintaining a sense of purpose in life, across the later years, are discussed.

RESUMEN

The purpose of the present study is to examine the relationship between mindfulness and mental health of graduate students and the mediating effects of sense of purpose in life on mindfulness and mental health. The participants include 419 graduate students from 6 universities in China, and there are 190 males and 229 females. The Hayes Process is adopted to analyze the effects of the sense of purpose in life on mindfulness and mental health of graduate students. The results reveal that mindfulness can effect the mental health of graduate students positively and significantly. The sense of purpose in life is found to mediate the relationship between mindfulness and mental health. In further moderated mediation analyses, the effect of mindfulness on mental health can be adjusted by family economic condition. The type of degree can adjust the effect of mindfulness on sense of purpose, and academic Interest can adjust the mediating effect of sense of purpose. Finally, this study discusses several empirical and methodological implications of the findings.

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RESUMEN

In the present population-based prospective study, we examined the associations of psychosocial factors with the incidence of herpes zoster (HZ) and postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). Data were collected from 12,359 participants (≥50 years of age) who answered a self-completed health questionnaire in the Shozu County of Kagawa Prefecture in Japan. During a 3-year follow-up between December 2008 and November 2012, HZ and PHN were diagnosed in 400 and 79 subjects, respectively. We used Cox regression analysis to estimate hazard ratios of incident HZ and PHN according to psychosocial factors, adjusting for age, sex, histories of HZ, cancer, and diabetes, smoking and drinking habits, and time from disease onset to treatment. Men with high levels of mental stress were twice as likely to be at risk for incident HZ. The risk of incident HZ was approximately 60% lower among men and women who reported a high sense of purpose in life. Women who experienced negative life events-particularly changes in their work, living environment, and relationships-had a 2- to 3-fold higher risk of incident PHN. Psychosocial factors such as perceived mental stress, sense of purpose in life, and negative life events may contribute to the development of HZ and PHN in the general population.

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