The Role of Purpose in Life in the Relationship Between Widowhood and Cognitive Decline Among Older Adults in the U.S.
Am J Geriatr Psychiatry
; 30(3): 383-391, 2022 03.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-34417084
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES:
The objective of this study was to examine the role of purpose in life in the relationship between widowhood and cognitive decline.METHODS:
This study used a sample of 12,856 respondents (20,408 observations) collected from a national panel survey, the 2006-2014 waves of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), that sampled older adults aged 50 or older. The study estimated growth-curve models with years since spousal death, purpose in life, and interaction between the two to predict cognition using three measures-total cognition, fluid, and crystallized intelligence scores. We also estimated growth-curve models by sex, race/ethnicity, and education.RESULTS:
While years since spousal death negatively correlated with cognition, purpose in life positively correlated with cognition. Furthermore, purpose in life had a moderating effect on the relationship between years since spousal death and cognition. This effect was found by using total cognition (coef. = 0.0515; z = 2.64; p < 0.01) and fluid intelligence scores (coef. = 0.0576; z = 3.23; p < 0.05). The same effects were salient among females (coef. = 0.0556; z = 2.19; p < 0.05), Whites (coef. = 0.0526; z = 2.52; p < 0.05), and older adults with more education (coef. = 0.0635; z = 2.10; p < 0.05).CONCLUSION:
Higher purpose in life relates to the negative correlations between widowhood and cognition of older adults. Educational programs improving purpose in life are a possible avenue for reducing the adverse effect of widowhood on cognition and warrant future exploration.Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Viuvez
/
Disfunção Cognitiva
Tipo de estudo:
Observational_studies
/
Prognostic_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Limite:
Aged
/
Female
/
Humans
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2022
Tipo de documento:
Article