Cultural stress and immigrant well-being: The role of sense of purpose.

OBJECTIVES: Immigrants face multiple forms of cultural stress that hold pernicious influences on their psychological well-being, including everyday discrimination, bicultural stressors, and negative context of reception from others. Research thus is needed to consider potential buffers and mitigating factors that may help immigrant adults in the face of cultural stress. The present studies evaluated a sense of purpose as one potential buffer. METHOD: Study 1 asked immigrant adults in the Unites States to complete measures of the three cultural stress indicators in addition to sense of purpose and measures of well-being (depressive symptoms, anxiety, stress, self-esteem, self-rated health). Multiple regression analyses examined whether sense of purpose moderated the influence of cultural stress on immigrant well-being. Study 2 randomly assigned immigrant participants receive an experimental condition that asked participants to imagine a common cultural stressor faced by immigrants. Multiple regression analyses tested whether sense of purpose operated differently on postscenario affect across the control and experimental conditions. RESULTS: Study 1 found that all cultural stress indicators negatively correlated with psychological well-being and sense of purpose. However, sense of purpose did not significantly moderate these associations. Study 2 found that imagining the cultural stressor led to worse momentary affective well-being, whereas sense of purpose was associated with better well-being. Again, sense of purpose did not interact with the condition to predict the postscenario affect. CONCLUSIONS: Sense of purpose was consistently associated with better psychological well-being. However, little evidence was found that sense of purpose mitigates the ill effects of cultural stress for immigrant adults. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Finding Direction for Purpose Research in Hawai'i: A Narrative Review.

Purpose is an important construct across contexts and cultures, with evidence suggesting it is strongly related to health, health behaviors, discrimination, and experiences of trauma. In this narrative review of the research on purpose in Hawai'i, the authors identify, critically analyze, and synthesize the extant literature found through a comprehensive literature search. It then discusses important cultural considerations for engaging in purpose research in Hawai'i, broadly, and with the Indigenous people of Hawai'i (Kanaka Maoli). The review presents findings on how sense of purpose levels differ between Hawai'i and the continental United States and risk factors or strengths critical in shaping the development of purpose in Hawai'i. Potential future directions for this line of inquiry conclude this review, with a particular emphasis on the need for integration of Kanaka Maoli ontology and values.

Purpose in Daily Life: Considering Within-Person Sense of Purpose Variability.

Sense of purpose refers to the extent to which one feels that they have personally meaningful goals and directions guiding them through life. Though this construct predicts a host of benefits, little is known regarding the extent to which sense of purpose fluctuates within an individual and the affective changes tied to those fluctuations. The current study uses daily diary data to addresses this gap by exploring (1) how much sense of purpose and different components of purpose fluctuate from one day to the next, (2) the extent to which these fluctuations correlate with positive and negative affect, and (3) whether dispositional sense of purpose and age correlate with greater variability. Participants (N = 354) reported on their sense of purpose and positive and negative affect every day for 10 days. Results suggest that approximately 45-61% of the variability in sense of purpose scores occurs between-person depending on how it is assessed. Furthermore, the within-person variability in sense of purpose is more strongly correlated with changes in positive affect relative to negative affect. Finally, higher levels of dispositional sense of purpose and age do not appear to be associated with how much variability an individual experiences in their purposefulness from one day to next. The discussion focuses on what these findings mean for the trait-like nature of sense of purpose, short-term sense of purpose measurement, lifespan development, and intervention efforts.

Valuing versus having: The contrary roles of valuing and having money and prestige on well-being.

Using data from Midlife in the United States (N=3,767), this study investigates how believing having money or occupational prestige is important for a good life is associated with different aspects of well-being. Actual income was positively associated with sense of purpose, personal growth, self-acceptance, environmental mastery, and life satisfaction, negatively associated with negative affect, and was not associated with autonomy, positive relations with others, or positive affect. Meanwhile, perceiving having enough money or extra money as important for a good life predicted poorer well-being across all nine well-being indicators. Occupational prestige was positively associated with sense of purpose, autonomy, personal growth, self-acceptance, environmental mastery, and life satisfaction, while perceiving having occupational prestige as important was negatively associated with autonomy, personal growth, self-acceptance, positive relations with others, and positively with negative affect. The discussion focuses on how desiring money or prestige can influence well-being beyond having-or not having-those desires.

Nightly Sleep Predicts Next-Morning Expectations for Stress and Positive Experiences.

OBJECTIVE: Abundant research has linked nightly sleep as an antecedent of daily psychosocial experiences; however, less is known about sleep's influence on daily expectations of these experiences. Therefore, this research examined the day-to-day associations of sleep quality, duration, and efficiency with next-day expectations for stress(ors) and positive experiences, as well as whether these expectations were related to end-of-day reports of physical symptoms. METHODS: In Study 1, U.S. adults ( n = 354; ages 19 to 74) completed twice-daily diaries for 10 weekdays about sleep, expectations for encountering daily stressors and positive events, and physical symptoms. In Study 2, adults in Canada ( n = 246; ages 25 to 87) wore a sleep watch for 14 consecutive days and completed mobile surveys 5×/day about sleep, stressfulness and pleasantness expectations, and physical symptoms. RESULTS: Multilevel models indicated that self-reported sleep quality and duration, but not efficiency, were associated with lower next-day expectations for stressors (Study 1) and stressfulness (Study 2). Self-reported sleep quality (Study 1) and all sleep indices (Study 2) predicted greater next-day expectations for positive events and pleasantness, respectively. For actigraphy-assessed sleep (Study 2), only longer-than-usual actigraphic sleep duration was associated with lower stressfulness expectations, whereas both sleep duration and efficiency were positively linked with daily pleasantness expectations. Only pleasantness expectations (Study 2)-but not daily stressfulness and event expectations (Study 1)-predicted end-of-day physical symptoms. CONCLUSION: Findings suggest the importance of sleep on expectations of next-day stress and positive experiences, of which may have implications for daily physical health.

Voxel-Level Dosimetry for Combined Iodine 131 Radiopharmaceutical Therapy and External Beam Radiation Therapy Treatment Paradigms for Head and Neck Cancer.

PURPOSE: Targeted radiopharmaceutical therapy (RPT) in combination with external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) shows promise as a method to increase tumor control and mitigate potential high-grade toxicities associated with re-treatment for patients with recurrent head and neck cancer. This work establishes a patient-specific dosimetry framework that combines Monte Carlo-based dosimetry from the 2 radiation modalities at the voxel level using deformable image registration (DIR) and radiobiological constructs for patients enrolled in a phase 1 clinical trial combining EBRT and RPT. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Serial single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)/computed tomography (CT) patient scans were performed at approximately 24, 48, 72, and 168 hours postinjection of 577.2 MBq/m2 (15.6 mCi/m2) CLR 131, an iodine 131-containing RPT agent. Using RayStation, clinical EBRT treatment plans were created with a treatment planning CT (TPCT). SPECT/CT images were deformably registered to the TPCT using the Elastix DIR module in 3D Slicer software and assessed by measuring mean activity concentrations and absorbed doses. Monte Carlo EBRT dosimetry was computed using EGSnrc. RPT dosimetry was conducted using RAPID, a GEANT4-based RPT dosimetry platform. Radiobiological metrics (biologically effective dose and equivalent dose in 2-Gy fractions) were used to combine the 2 radiation modalities. RESULTS: The DIR method provided good agreement for the activity concentrations and calculated absorbed dose in the tumor volumes for the SPECT/CT and TPCT images, with a maximum mean absorbed dose difference of -11.2%. Based on the RPT absorbed dose calculations, 2 to 4 EBRT fractions were removed from patient EBRT treatments. For the combined treatment, the absorbed dose to target volumes ranged from 57.14 to 75.02 Gy. When partial volume corrections were included, the mean equivalent dose in 2-Gy fractions to the planning target volume from EBRT + RPT differed -3.11% to 1.40% compared with EBRT alone. CONCLUSIONS: This work demonstrates the clinical feasibility of performing combined EBRT + RPT dosimetry on TPCT scans. Dosimetry guides treatment decisions for EBRT, and this work provides a bridge for the same paradigm to be implemented within the rapidly emerging clinical RPT space.

Examining sense of purpose and conscientiousness as unique correlates of health: A bifactor examination.

Conscientiousness and sense of purpose consistently predict health, wellbeing, and health behavior. However, it remains an open question whether they are unique or overlapping predictors of health and wellbeing. The current study considered this question using the MOSAiCH study, a nationally representative sample of 2305 Swiss adults (M: 52.33 years old; SD = 17.36). Participants reported on sense of purpose and conscientiousness, in addition to multiple health, wellbeing, and health behavior indicators (e.g. dietary practices, activity engagement, health conditions, psychological concerns, and doctor visits). Results found conscientiousness and sense of purpose were moderately associated with multiple health, wellbeing, and health behavior indicators. Bifactor modeling was employed to test the incremental validity of conscientiousness and sense of purpose, when accounting for their shared variance. The specific factor for purpose predicted outcomes even when accounting for conscientiousness. However, conscientiousness had little incremental validity over the general factor.

Positive event diversity: Relationship with personality and well-being.

OBJECTIVE: Examining the personality and well-being correlates of positive event diversity. BACKGROUND: Past research has highlighted that personality traits are linked to the frequency of daily positive events. This study is the first to examine positive event diversity, the extent to which positive events are spread across multiple types of positive life domains, as well as its personality and well-being correlates. METHOD: We conducted parallel analyses of three daily diary datasets (Ns = 1919, 744, and 1392) that included evening assessment of daily positive events and affective well-being. The Big Five personality traits were assessed in baseline surveys. RESULTS: Positive Event Diversity was related to higher person-mean daily positive affect but not negative affect. Higher Extraversion, Agreeableness, Openness, and lower Neuroticism were correlated with more positive event diversity. These associations became nonsignificant when controlling for positive event frequency. Positive event frequency moderated the link between positive event diversity and person-mean affect, such that higher positive event diversity was associated with higher negative and lower positive affect for people who experienced more frequent positive events. CONCLUSIONS: No consistent evidence was found for personality as a moderator of the positive event diversity-well-being link across the three studies. Further, the well-being implications of positive event diversity may be better understood when interpreting them alongside indexes of positive event frequency.

Negative Emotional Reactivity and Somatic Symptoms during Adolescence Predict Adult Health and Wellbeing in Early and Middle Adulthood.

Longitudinal research is lacking with respect to how negative emotional reactivity and somatic symptoms during adolescence set the stage for later health. The aim of this longitudinal study was to examine within-person associations between negative emotional reactivity and somatic symptoms during adolescence and their effects on health and wellbeing in adulthood. Participants (N = 1527; 48.3% female) were assessed annually at the age of 12 to 16 years and at the age of 35 and 45 years. Adolescents with frequent somatic symptoms reported higher reactivity. Individual differences in levels and changes of somatic symptoms and reactivity were independently associated with adult health and wellbeing decades later. The findings underscore the importance of considering how individual differences change during adolescent development.

Examining changes in sense of purpose before, during, and after COVID-19 vaccination.

Multiple studies have focused on the role of psychosocial factors as predictors of COVID-19 vaccination willingness and uptake, with less attention paid to whether vaccination itself could influence wellbeing. The current study evaluated this possibility with respect to sense of purpose, the perception one has goals and a direction in life, building on previous evidence this factor may influence vaccination willingness and decision-making. Across seven waves of monthly data from February to August 2021, participants (n = 2169, mage = 48.0 years) across Canada and the United States reported on their sense of purpose and vaccination status. Using piecewise regression models, results indicated that sense of purpose did not appear to fluctuate in the month prior to, during, or following COVID-19 vaccination. However, across most months of the survey, vaccinated participants did report greater sense of purpose relative to unvaccinated participants. These findings are discussed with respect to whether health behaviors, such as vaccination, should be viewed as behaviors indicative of leading a purposeful life.

Purposeful and purposeless aging: Structural issues for sense of purpose and their implications for predicting life outcomes.

Despite the value of sense of purpose during older adulthood, this construct often declines with age. With some older adults reconsidering the relevance of purpose later in life, the measurement of purpose may suffer from variance issues with age. The current study investigated whether sense of purpose functions similarly across ages and evaluated if the predictive power of purpose on mental, physical, cognitive, and financial outcomes changes when accounting for a less age-affected measurement structure. Utilizing data from two nationwide panel studies (Health and Retirement Study: n = 14,481; Midlife in the United States: n = 4,030), the current study conducted local structural equation modeling and found two factors for the positively and negatively valenced purpose items in the Purpose in Life subscale (Ryff, 1989), deemed the purposeful and purposeless factor. These factors become less associated with each other at higher ages. When reproducing past findings with this two-factor structure, the current study found that the purposeful and purposeless factors predicted these outcomes in the same direction as would be suggested by past research, but the magnitude of these effects differed for some outcomes. The discussion focuses on the implications of what this means for our understanding of sense of purpose across the lifespan. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Psychosocial factors and well-being among adults with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease: A cross-sectional study.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE: The goal of the current study is to examine the relationships between psychosocial factors and well-being among adults with Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease, a progressive neuromuscular disorder. Specifically, we aimed to examine associations between psychosocial factors and sense of purpose as well as the moderating role of sense of purpose on associations between psychosocial factors and two other measures of well-being (life satisfaction and health-related quality of life). RESEARCH METHOD/DESIGN: In 2021, we recruited 263 U.S. adults with CMT (Mage = 60.15 years, 58.56% female, 92.40% White) to take part in a cross-sectional study. Participants were asked to complete an online survey assessing components of well-being as well as various psychosocial factors. RESULTS: Moderate-to-strong associations were found between most psychosocial factors assessed and sense of purpose in individuals with CMT. In addition, sense of purpose moderated the relationship between multiple psychosocial factors and other measures of well-being. CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS: Psychosocial factors may be important to consider when examining well-being among individuals with CMT. Furthermore, sense of purpose may be a beneficial tool for promoting well-being in this population. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Integration and dosimetric validation of a dynamic collimation system for pencil beam scanning proton therapy.

Objective.To integrate a Dynamic Collimation System (DCS) into a pencil beam scanning (PBS) proton therapy system and validate its dosimetric impact.Approach.Uncollimated and collimated treatment fields were developed for clinically relevant targets using an in-house treatment plan optimizer and an experimentally validated Monte Carlo model of the DCS and IBA dedicated nozzle (DN) system. The dose reduction induced by the DCS was quantified by calculating the mean dose in 10- and 30-mm two-dimensional rinds surrounding the target. A select number of plans were then used to experimentally validate the mechanical integration of the DCS and beam scanning controller system through measurements with the MatriXX-PT ionization chamber array and EBT3 film. Absolute doses were verified at the central axis at various depths using the IBA MatriXX-PT and PPC05 ionization chamber.Main results.Simulations demonstrated a maximum mean dose reduction of 12% for the 10 mm rind region and 45% for the 30 mm rind region when utilizing the DCS. Excellent agreement was observed between Monte Carlo simulations, EBT3 film, and MatriXX-PT measurements, with gamma pass rates exceeding 94.9% for all tested plans at the 3%/2 mm criterion. Absolute central axis doses showed an average verification difference of 1.4% between Monte Carlo and MatriXX-PT/PPC05 measurements.Significance.We have successfully dosimetrically validated the delivery of dynamically collimated proton therapy for clinically relevant delivery patterns and dose distributions with the DCS. Monte Carlo simulations were employed to assess dose reductions and treatment planning considerations associated with the DCS.

Personality traits moderate associations between word recall and subjective memory.

Cognitive gerontology research requires consideration of performance as well as perceptions of performance. While subjective memory is positively associated with memory performance, these correlations typically are modest in magnitude, leading to the need to consider whether certain people may show weaker or stronger linkages between performance and perceptions. The current study leveraged personality (NEO Big Five), memory performance (i.e., word recall), and perceptions of memory ability (i.e., metamemory in adulthood and memory decline) data from the St. Louis Personality and Aging Network (SPAN) study (n = 774, mean age: 71.52 years). Extraversion and conscientiousness held the most consistent associations with the cognitive variables of interest, as both traits were positively associated with metamemory and word recall, but negatively associated with subjective decline. Moreover, extraversion moderated associations between word recall and both memory capacity and complaints, insofar that objective-subjective associations were weaker for those adults higher in extraversion. These findings highlight the need to understand how personality influences the sources of information employed for subjective cognitive beliefs.

Reliability of diurnal salivary cortisol metrics: A meta-analysis and investigation in two independent samples.

Stress-induced dysregulation of diurnal cortisol is a cornerstone of stress-disease theories; however, observed associations between cortisol, stress, and health have been inconsistent. The reliability of diurnal cortisol features may contribute to these equivocal findings. Our meta-analysis (5 diurnal features from 11 studies; total participant n = 3307) and investigation (15 diurnal cortisol features) in 2 independent studies (St. Louis Personality and Aging Network [SPAN] Study, n = 147, ages 61-73; Minnesota Longitudinal Study of Risk and Adaptation [MLSRA] Study, n = 90, age 37) revealed large variability in the day-to-day test-retest reliability of diurnal features derived from salivary cortisol data (i.e., ICC = 0.00-0.75). Collectively, these data indicate that some commonly used diurnal cortisol features have poor reliability that is insufficient for individual differences research (e.g., cortisol awakening response) while others (e.g., area under the curve with respect to ground) have fair-to-good reliability that could support reliable identification of associations in well-powered studies.

Associations for Sense of Purpose with Smoking and Health Outcomes Among Adults with Diabetes.

BACKGROUND: Health complications from diabetes place major strain on individuals, financially and emotionally. The onset and severity of these complications are largely driven by patients' behaviors, making psychosocial factors that influence behaviors key targets for interventions. One promising factor is sense of purpose or the degree to which a person believes their life has direction. METHOD: The current study investigated whether sense of purpose predicts self-rated health, cardiovascular disease, and smoking status among adults with diabetes concurrently and prospectively. Moreover, it tested whether these associations held across multiple samples and cultures. Coordinated analysis using 12 datasets cross-sectionally and eight longitudinally (total N = 7277) estimated the degree to which sense of purpose is associated with subjective health, smoking status, and cardiovascular disease among adults with diabetes. Coordinated analysis allows for greater generalizability of results across cultures, time periods, and measurement instruments. Datasets were included if they concurrently included a measure of sense of purpose and diabetes status and at least one health measure: self-rated health, current smoking status, or heart condition status. RESULTS: Sense of purpose was associated with higher self-rated health, smoking status, and cardiovascular disease cross-sectionally and self-rated health prospectively. Purpose was unassociated with changes in health over time. CONCLUSION: These results highlight the relationship of a key individual difference, sense of purpose, to the behaviors and outcomes of adults with diabetes. While more research is needed to determine the boundaries of this relationship, it seems sense of purpose may be considered in the future as a potential target for intervention.

Design, testing and characterization of a proton central axis alignment device for the dynamic collimation system.

Objective. Proton therapy conformity has improved over the years by evolving from passive scattering to spot scanning delivery technologies with smaller proton beam spot sizes. Ancillary collimation devices, such the Dynamic Collimation System (DCS), further improves high dose conformity by sharpening the lateral penumbra. However, as spot sizes are reduced, collimator positional errors play a significant impact on the dose distributions and hence accurate collimator to radiation field alignment is critical.Approach. The purpose of this work was to develop a system to align and verify coincidence between the center of the DCS and the proton beam central axis. The Central Axis Alignment Device (CAAD) is composed of a camera and scintillating screen-based beam characterization system. Within a light-tight box, a 12.3-megapixel camera monitors a P43/Gadox scintillating screen via a 45° first-surface mirror. When a collimator trimmer of the DCS is placed in the uncalibrated center of the field, the proton radiation beam continuously scans a 7×7 cm2square field across the scintillator and collimator trimmer while a 7 s exposure is acquired. From the relative positioning of the trimmer to the radiation field, the true center of the radiation field can be calculated.Main results.The CAAD can calculate the offset between the proton beam radiation central axis and the DCS central axis within 0.054 mm accuracy and 0.075 mm reproducibility.Significance.Using the CAAD, the DCS is now able to be aligned accurately to the proton radiation beam central axis and no longer relies on an x-ray source in the gantry head which is only validated to within 1.0 mm of the proton beam.

Sense of purpose among transgender adults in the United States: comparisons of levels and health correlates.

Given the increased threats to health and well-being faced by transgender individuals, research is needed to understand potential protective factors. Recent work has suggested that a sense of purpose may be one of the health-promoting resources available to marginalized groups, and levels of purpose are often similar or even higher among these groups. However, research is limited regarding whether this factor manifests differently among transgender adults. The current study (n = 1968 U.S. adults; 4.3% identified as transgender) asked participants to complete surveys for sense of purpose, self-rated health, life satisfaction and the type of purposes they deemed important. The findings suggest no difference in levels of sense of purpose between transgender and non-transgender adults. Transgender adults reported slightly lower levels of importance across multiple purposes, which merits further investigation into whether they perceive greater obstacles toward those goals. Of central importance, sense of purpose positively correlated with self-rated health (r = .50) and life satisfaction for transgender adults (r = .77), at similar or even greater magnitudes than for the non-transgender adults. These results point to the potential of exploring sense of purpose as an intervention target for promoting transgender health and well-being, and future directions should focus on the multiple pathways by which transgender identity may influence purpose development.

PETRA: A pencil beam trimming algorithm for analytical proton therapy dose calculations with the dynamic collimation system.

BACKGROUND: The Dynamic Collimation System (DCS) has been shown to produce superior treatment plans to uncollimated pencil beam scanning (PBS) proton therapy using an in-house treatment planning system (TPS) designed for research. Clinical implementation of the DCS requires the development and benchmarking of a rigorous dose calculation algorithm that accounts for pencil beam trimming, performs monitor unit calculations to produce deliverable plans at all beam energies, and is ideally implemented with a commercially available TPS. PURPOSE: To present an analytical Pencil bEam TRimming Algorithm (PETRA) for the DCS, with and without its range shifter, implemented in the Astroid TPS (.decimal, Sanford, Florida, USA). MATERIALS: PETRA was derived by generalizing an existing pencil beam dose calculation model to account for the DCS-specific effects of lateral penumbra blurring due to the nickel trimmers in two different planes, integral depth dose variation due to the trimming process, and the presence and absence of the range shifter. Tuning parameters were introduced to enable agreement between PETRA and a measurement-validated Dynamic Collimation Monte Carlo (DCMC) model of the Miami Cancer Institute's IBA Proteus Plus system equipped with the DCS. Trimmer position, spot position, beam energy, and the presence or absence of a range shifter were all used as variables for the characterization of the model. The model was calibrated for pencil beam monitor unit calculations using procedures specified by International Atomic Energy Agency Technical Report Series 398 (IAEA TRS-398). RESULTS: The integral depth dose curves (IDDs) for energies between 70 MeV and 160 MeV among all simulated trimmer combinations, with and without the ranger shifter, agreed between PETRA and DCMC at the 1%/1 mm 1-D gamma criteria for 99.99% of points. For lateral dose profiles, the median 2-D gamma pass rate for all profiles at 1.5%/1.5 mm was 99.99% at the water phantom surface, plateau, and Bragg peak depths without the range shifter and at the surface and Bragg peak depths with the range shifter. The minimum 1.5%/1.5 mm gamma pass rates for the 2-D profiles at the water phantom surface without and with the range shifter were 98.02% and 97.91%, respectively, and, at the Bragg peak, the minimum pass rates were 97.80% and 97.5%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The PETRA model for DCS dose calculations was successfully defined and benchmarked for use in a commercially available TPS.

Sense of purpose in life and allostatic load in two longitudinal cohorts.

OBJECTIVE: Sense of purpose in life has been linked with better physical health, longevity, and reduced risk for disability and dementia, but the mechanisms linking sense of purpose with diverse health outcomes are unclear. Sense of purpose may promote better physiological regulation in response to stressors and health challenges, leading to lower allostatic load and disease risk over time. The current study examined the association between sense of purpose in life and allostatic load over time in adults over age 50. METHODS: Data from the nationally representative US Health and Retirement Study (HRS) and English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) were used to examine associations between sense of purpose and allostatic load across 8 and 12 years of follow-up, respectively. Blood-based and anthropometric biomarkers were collected at four-year intervals and used to compute allostatic load scores based on clinical cut-off values representing low, moderate, and high risk. RESULTS: Population-weighted multilevel models revealed that sense of purpose in life was associated with lower overall levels of allostatic load in HRS, but not in ELSA after adjusting for relevant covariates. Sense of purpose in life did not predict rate of change in allostatic load in either sample. CONCLUSIONS: The present investigation supports sense of purpose predicting preserved differentiation of allostatic regulation, with more purposeful individuals demonstrating consistently lower allostatic load over time. Persistent differences in allostatic burden may account for divergent health trajectories between individuals low and high in sense of purpose.