Bidirectional associations between meaning in life and the health, emotional ill-being and daily life functioning outcomes among older adults

Węziak‐Białowolska, Dorota; Białowolski, Piotr

doi:10.1080/08870446.2022.2105842

Cited by 10 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…Purpose, along with comprehension (perceived coherence and understanding of their lives) and mattering (feeling their existence is of significance and value in the world), is considered to be a key component of meaning in life [ 51 ]. Much like vitality, meaning and purpose are linked to multiple positive health outcomes [ 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 ] and healthy lifestyle behaviors [ 56 ], independent of demographics, socioeconomic status, personality, prior history of disease, and lifestyle [ 57 ].…”

Section: From Health To Well-beingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vitality Revisited: The Evolving Concept of Flourishing and Its Relevance to Personal and Public Health

Logan¹,

Berman

Prescott

2023

IJERPH

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Human flourishing, the state of optimal functioning and well-being across all aspects of an individual’s life, has been a topic of philosophical and theological discussion for centuries. In the mid-20th century, social psychologists and health scientists began exploring the concept of flourishing in the context of health and high-level wellness. However, it is only in recent years, in part due to the USD 43 million Global Flourishing Study including 22 countries that flourishing has entered the mainstream discourse. Here, we explore this history and the rapid acceleration of research into human flourishing, defined as “the relative attainment of a state in which all aspects of a person’s life are good” by the Harvard University’s Flourishing Program. We also explore the construct of “vitality”, which refers to a sense of aliveness, energy, and motivation; we contend that this has been neglected in the flourishing movement. We explore why incorporating measures of vitality together with a broader biopsychosocial approach considers all dimensions of the environment across time (the total exposome), which will greatly advance research, policies, and actions to achieve human flourishing.

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Section: From Health To Well-beingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vitality Revisited: The Evolving Concept of Flourishing and Its Relevance to Personal and Public Health

Logan¹,

Berman

Prescott

2023

IJERPH

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Two recent longitudinal studies in the UK and Europe from before COVID-19 have shown that there is a bidirectional relationship between meaning in life and several physical, psychological, and social functioning related factors [8,9]. Greater meaning in life is related to more favourable well-being outcomes, such as the reduced risk of depression, less pain, fewer functional limitations, and even reduced mortality risk [8][9][10]. In addition, during the COVID-19 pandemic, a stronger sense of meaning in life was associated with lower anxiety and stress levels [11] and greater intentions to engage in COVID-19 protective health behaviours [12].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, during the COVID-19 pandemic, a stronger sense of meaning in life was associated with lower anxiety and stress levels [11] and greater intentions to engage in COVID-19 protective health behaviours [12]. Furthermore, factors such as no chronic pain, few depressive symptoms, greater physical activity, close relationships, and ability to help others are associated with subsequent greater meaning in life [8,9,13,14]. During the frst months of the pandemic, the circumstances people lived in changed severely.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Self-Reported Changes in Personal Development and Meaning in Life among Older Adults during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Results from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam

Renckens

Pasman

Huisman

et al. 2023

Health & Social Care in the Community

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Objectives. The aim of this study was to explore self-reported changes in personal development and meaning in life of older adults in the Netherlands during the COVID-19 pandemic and characteristics of the groups that reported these changes. Methods. Older adults from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam completed a questionnaire on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants were asked to rate changes in personal development and meaning in life. These variables were descriptively analysed and logistic regression analyses were used to explore characteristics of the groups that reported these changes. Results. Of the 1099 older adults (aged 62–102 years), 25.7% paid more attention to things one enjoys doing in spare time, 36.6% reflected more on important things in life, and 16.8% made less future plans during the COVID-19 pandemic. Self-reported changes in meaning in life and personal development differed between specific subgroups of older adults. The largest changes in aspects of personal development and meaning in life were reported by older adults who experienced personal adverse experiences such as death of a loved one (ORs 2.03) and/or health problems such as functional limitations (ORs ranging from 1.59 to 2.84) and depression (ORs ranging from 1.69 to 2.77). Discussion and Implications. A substantial share of the participants reported changes in specific aspects of personal development and meaning in life. This was especially true for certain subgroups of older adults. Relatives and caregivers should be aware of changes in personal development and meaning in life since lower scores are known to be associated with poor physical, psychological, and social well-being outcomes.

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“…On the other hand, having a purpose in life can mitigate loneliness and therefore have a positive impact on health and well-being [10], however, limited research has been conducted on loneliness and life purpose in older people. In this way, the aim has been to analyse whether biomarkers can help to detect unwanted loneliness and learn more about its causality.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

ECG analysis to study social connections in older cardiac patients

Cervigón¹,

Cardo²,

Chulián³

et al. 2022

Computing in Cardiology Conference (CinC)

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Loneliness in older adults is associated with functional decline, depression and even death. Given the prevalence of loneliness, the aim of this study was to examine the association between loneliness and cardiac biomarkers in older people that attend to cardiology consultation. The results showed that loneliness was more prevalent in women than in men, and it was associated with marital status too. ECG recording were analyzed and QT interval and T-wave length showed higher values in people suffering from loneliness, as well as higher cardiac frequency, where the presence of meaning in life be a protective factor. Studies with a larger sample size are needed, but these results appear to show a relationship between biomarkers and mental state.

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Bidirectional associations between meaning in life and the health, emotional ill-being and daily life functioning outcomes among older adults

Cited by 10 publications

References 51 publications

Vitality Revisited: The Evolving Concept of Flourishing and Its Relevance to Personal and Public Health

Vitality Revisited: The Evolving Concept of Flourishing and Its Relevance to Personal and Public Health

Self-Reported Changes in Personal Development and Meaning in Life among Older Adults during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Results from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam

ECG analysis to study social connections in older cardiac patients

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