Angelina R Sutin, Norma Mansor, Martina Luchetti, Yannick Stephan, Antonio Terracciano
{"title":"Purpose in Life and Cognitive Function in the Malaysian Ageing and Retirement Study.","authors":"Angelina R Sutin, Norma Mansor, Martina Luchetti, Yannick Stephan, Antonio Terracciano","doi":"10.1080/07317115.2024.2400283","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Evidence for the association between purpose in life and cognitive health is primarily from North American and European samples. This study evaluates this association in a large sample from Malaysia, an upper-middle-income country in Southeast Asia.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Participants (<i>N</i> = 5,579) from the Malaysian Ageing and Retirement Study reported on their purpose in life and subjective memory and were administered tasks that measured episodic memory, verbal fluency, and overall cognitive function.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Purpose was associated with better subjective memory (β=.13), episodic memory (β=.06), verbal fluency (β=.12), and overall cognitive function (β=.07) (ps < .001). The associations were similar across sex and retirement status; purpose was more strongly related to subjective memory and overall cognitive function among older participants. Behavioral/social factors accounted for up to one-third of the associations, but all associations remained statistically significant.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The positive association between purpose and cognition generalizes to a middle-income country in Southeast Asia. Similar to Western samples, behavioral and social factors accounted for part but not all the association. More research is needed in lower- and other middle-income countries to fully evaluate generalizability.</p><p><strong>Clinical implications: </strong>Purpose may help support healthier cognitive aging across diverse populations and be a useful target to improve cognitive aging outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":10376,"journal":{"name":"Clinical Gerontologist","volume":" ","pages":"1-10"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6000,"publicationDate":"2024-09-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Clinical Gerontologist","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1080/07317115.2024.2400283","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"GERIATRICS & GERONTOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Objectives: Evidence for the association between purpose in life and cognitive health is primarily from North American and European samples. This study evaluates this association in a large sample from Malaysia, an upper-middle-income country in Southeast Asia.
Methods: Participants (N = 5,579) from the Malaysian Ageing and Retirement Study reported on their purpose in life and subjective memory and were administered tasks that measured episodic memory, verbal fluency, and overall cognitive function.
Results: Purpose was associated with better subjective memory (β=.13), episodic memory (β=.06), verbal fluency (β=.12), and overall cognitive function (β=.07) (ps < .001). The associations were similar across sex and retirement status; purpose was more strongly related to subjective memory and overall cognitive function among older participants. Behavioral/social factors accounted for up to one-third of the associations, but all associations remained statistically significant.
Conclusions: The positive association between purpose and cognition generalizes to a middle-income country in Southeast Asia. Similar to Western samples, behavioral and social factors accounted for part but not all the association. More research is needed in lower- and other middle-income countries to fully evaluate generalizability.
Clinical implications: Purpose may help support healthier cognitive aging across diverse populations and be a useful target to improve cognitive aging outcomes.
期刊介绍:
Clinical Gerontologist presents original research, reviews, and clinical comments relevant to the needs of behavioral health professionals and all practitioners who work with older adults. Published in cooperation with Psychologists in Long Term Care, the journal is designed for psychologists, physicians, nurses, social workers, counselors (family, pastoral, and vocational), and other health professionals who address behavioral health concerns found in later life, including:
-adjustments to changing roles-
issues related to diversity and aging-
family caregiving-
spirituality-
cognitive and psychosocial assessment-
depression, anxiety, and PTSD-
Alzheimer’s disease and other neurocognitive disorders-
long term care-
behavioral medicine in aging-
rehabilitation and education for older adults.
Each issue provides insightful articles on current topics. Submissions are peer reviewed by content experts and selected for both scholarship and relevance to the practitioner to ensure that the articles are among the best in the field. Authors report original research and conceptual reviews. A unique column in Clinical Gerontologist is “Clinical Comments." This section features brief observations and specific suggestions from practitioners which avoid elaborate research designs or long reference lists. This section is a unique opportunity for you to learn about the valuable clinical work of your peers in a short, concise format.