Researchers at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago published the results of a longitudinal study of senior housing residents. It focused on the link between purpose in life and the risk for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and other milder forms of cognitive impairment, testing a hypothesis in a sample of 900 participants in the Rush Memory and Aging Project. Purpose in life is a psychological trait where life experiences are defined as meaningful and motivates behaviors that are goal-directed and intentional.
Participants had a mean age of 80.4 at the beginning of the study. They underwent annual clinical evaluations, including a medical history, neurologic examination, and cognitive functioning testing. Purpose in life was assessed via a 10-item scale. During the seven years of follow-up evaluation, the researchers found that 16% (or 155) of the participants had developed AD. Participants who developed AD reported higher levels of neuroticism and lower levels of purpose in life at the start of the study. A person with a high score was about 2.5 times more likely to remain AD free than those with low scores.
Using a proportional hazards model, the researchers were able to isolate the impact of purpose in life on AD by controlling for other factors commonly associated with AD, including age, gender, and ethnicity demographics, as well as for psychological health factors (e.g., depressive symptoms and neuroticism) and a number of chronic health conditions. They believe that this association exists because people who exhibit a higher purpose in life tend to lead more active cognitive lifestyles. In fact, they displayed a higher level of cognitive activity throughout the study. This relationship between purpose in life and elevated levels of cognitive activity held true for diverse types of activities (e.g., episodic memory, semantic memory, working memory, perceptual speed, and visuospatial ability).
These findings should have important positive public health consequences. Interventions that target goal-direct intentionality and foster meaning in life for older adults will have the capacity to function as preventive measures for AD. The researchers speculate that even small behavioral modifications can have a lasting impact if they become routine for older adults over time.
Source: Boyle, P., Buchman, A., Barnes, L., Bennett, D. 2010. Effect of a purpose in life on risk of incident Alzheimer’s disease and mild cognitive impairment in community dwelling older persons. Archives of General Psychiatry 67(3): 304-310.
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I think the trouble with studies like this is that they provide little direction about what a good intervention would look like. How is purpose in life fostered and maintained? This study provides no direction. Any thoughts?