When the end feels near: sense of purpose predicts well-being as a function of future time perspective

Pfund, Gabrielle N.; Ratner, Kaylin; Allemand, Mathias; Burrow, Anthony L.; Hill, Patrick L.

doi:10.1080/13607863.2021.1891203

Cited by 24 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…In addition to the possibilities raised earlier, another pathway that merits exploration is how purposeful people may differentially plan their future and the implications of these plans for healthy aging. Sense of purpose has been associated with better retirement planning (Hill and Pfund, 2021) and a broader time perspective (Pfund, Ratner, et al, 2022). This point is critical in the context of the current findings, insofar that both depressive symptoms and loneliness have been linked to perceiving a more limited future (e.g., Bergman and Segel-Karpas, 2018).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 77%

Sense of purpose as a potential buffer between mental health and subjective cognitive decline

Pfund

Spears

Norton

et al. 2022

Int. Psychogeriatr.

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Objectives: Purposeful adults may experience greater cognitive resilience because sense of purpose may help buffer against the effects of depressive symptoms and loneliness. We also evaluated whether these associations differed by race. Design: This study uses a wave of self-report data from the SPAN study of psychosocial aging. Setting: Participants come from a representative sample of older adults in St. Louis. Participants: Participants (N = 595) ages range from 65 to 78 (Mage = 71.46), with 18.3% of participants identifying as Black/African-American. Measures: Sense of purpose was assessed with the Life Engagement Test, depressive symptoms with the Beck Depression Inventory-II, loneliness with the UCLA Loneliness Scale, and subjective cognitive decline with the AD-8. Results: Correlational analyses supported predictions that sense of purpose was negatively related to subjective cognitive decline, whereas depressive symptoms and loneliness were positively related (|r|s > .30, ps < .001). For loneliness, but not depression, this association was moderated by sense of purpose (b = −0.43, p < .001). A relatively high sense of purpose attenuated associations between loneliness and subjective cognitive decline. A three-way race × purpose × loneliness interaction (b = −0.25, p = .021) revealed that the buffering effects of sense of purpose on subjective cognitive decline were stronger for Black adults. Discussion: This study provided partial support for the buffering hypothesis, showing that sense of purpose may help mitigate the cognitive decrements associated with loneliness. Future research needs to consider how purpose-promoting programs may support healthy cognitive aging, particularly among Black older adults and those who experience greater social isolation.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 77%

Sense of purpose as a potential buffer between mental health and subjective cognitive decline

Pfund

Spears

Norton

et al. 2022

Int. Psychogeriatr.

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“…Data for this study come from a large, cross-lab collaboration effort. Some data that overlap with this study have been published elsewhere(Pfund et al, 2021;Ratner et al, 2020).DERAILMENT MEASUREMENT AND CORRELATES…”

mentioning

confidence: 71%

Invariance of the Derailment Scale-6: Testing the measurement and correlates of derailment across adulthood.

Ratner¹,

Burrow²,

Thoemmes³

et al. 2022

Psychological Assessment

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Derailment, a newly mapped construct describing difficulty reconciling perceived changes in identity and selfdirection, offers researchers a unique lens for understanding adjustment. As identity development is a lifelong process, establishing the impartiality of the primary measure for derailment across a broad age range is necessary. Across a cross-sectional sample of emerging, young, and midlife adults (N = 1,420), we tested preregistered hypotheses concerning whether the Derailment Scale-6 (DS-6) demonstrates measurement invariance, and the extent to which levels and correlates of derailment differ with age. The DS-6 exhibited configural, metric, and partial scalar invariance across the three age groups. In terms of effect size, statistical differences detected at the scalar level were hardly larger than negligible noninvariance effects, suggesting in sum that the DS-6 is adequate for assessing and comparing derailment among those roughly 18-70 years. In general, derailment was related to greater distress and identity exploration, and lower identity commitment, sense of purpose in life, and future time perspective (FTP). We further found that derailment shares a modest negative association with age; it is more positively associated with identity exploration among younger individuals; and it is more negatively associated with identity commitment, sense of purpose in life, and FTP among older individuals. With the broadest age range and most highly powered set of tests studying derailment to date, this investigation bolsters confidence in our tools for assessing derailment and has taken the initial steps toward sketching the form and function of perceived identity change over the lifespan. Public Significance StatementFeeling "off-course" in life (i.e., derailment) is associated with greater concurrent psychological distress, lower identity commitment and purpose in life, and the sense that one is running out of time in their life. This study demonstrates that the tool for assessing derailment is appropriate for use among, and the comparison of, those roughly 18 to 70-years-old. Importantly, some adjustment correlates of derailment may strengthen or weaken depending upon age.

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“…Personality trait changes also provide unique predictive value for health behaviors in adulthood (Turiano et al, 2012). Perhaps more conceptually related to future time perceptions (see Pfund et al, 2022), changes in sense of purpose in life predict later health outcomes across multiple cultural contexts (Willroth et al, 2021).…”

Section: Changes During Adolescencementioning

confidence: 99%

Perceptions of the future in adolescence predict depressive symptoms in adolescence and early and middle adulthood.

Allemand¹,

Fend²,

Hill³

2022

Developmental Psychology

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The current longitudinal study examined the predictive associations between the development of future perceptions in adolescence and depressive symptoms in adolescence and early and middle adulthood. Participants (N = 1,527; 48.3% female; broadly representative of Western Germany with respect to race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status) were measured yearly in adolescence at the age of 12 to 16 years and then in adulthood at the age of 35 and 45. Future perceptions were assessed during adolescence, whereas depressive symptoms were assessed at the age of 16, 35, and 45. Three important results stand out. First, the measure of future perceptions functioned equivalently across adolescence. Second, the development of future perceptions during adolescence varied across individuals, though mean-level stability was evidenced in the sample. Third, individual differences in the level and change of future perceptions during adolescence predicted depressive symptoms in adolescence and adulthood. These findings demonstrate that one’s perception of the future not only has short-term affective consequences but may have long-term effects on depressive symptoms beyond adolescence.

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When the end feels near: sense of purpose predicts well-being as a function of future time perspective

Cited by 24 publications

References 46 publications

Sense of purpose as a potential buffer between mental health and subjective cognitive decline

Sense of purpose as a potential buffer between mental health and subjective cognitive decline

Invariance of the Derailment Scale-6: Testing the measurement and correlates of derailment across adulthood.

Perceptions of the future in adolescence predict depressive symptoms in adolescence and early and middle adulthood.

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