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Purpose in Life Is Associated With a Reduced Risk of Incident Disability Among Community-Dwelling Older Persons
Open accessAbstract
Background Purpose in life is thought to be associated with positive health outcomes in old age, but its association with disability is unknown.Objective Test the hypothesis that greater purpose in life is associated with a reduced risk of incident disability, including impairment in basic and instrumental activities of daily living and mobility disability, among community-based older persons free of dementia.Design Participants were from the Rush Memory and Aging Project, a large longitudinal clinical-pathologic study of aging.Setting Retirement communities, senior housing facilities, and homes across the greater Chicago metropolitan area.Measurements All participants underwent baseline assessment of purpose in life and detailed annual clinical evaluations to document incident disability.Results The mean score on the purpose in life measure at baseline was 3.6 (standard deviation = 0.5, range: 2-5). In a series of proportional hazards models adjusted for age, sex, and education, greater purpose in life was associated with a reduced risk of disability in basic activities of daily living (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.60, 95% confidence interval [C1] = 0.45-0.81), instrumental activities of daily living (HR = 0.56, 95% CI = 0.40-0.78), and mobility disability (HR = 0.61, 95% CI = 0.44-0.84). These associations did not vary along demographic lines and persisted after the addition of terms to control for global cognition, depressive symptoms, social networks, neuroticism, income, physical frailty, vascular risk factors, and vascular diseases.Conclusions Among community-based older persons without dementia, greater purpose in life is associated with maintenance of functional status, including a reduced risk of developing impairment in basic and instrumental activities of daily living and mobility disability.
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In the citing paper
“Numerous prospective studies from 2 to 8 years would strongly suggest that high PIL results in better health and less disability.”
From Purpose in Life and Positive Health Outcomes Among Older Adults (2018) · cites this paper as [7]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredIn the citing paper
“Having a strong sense of purpose and meaning in life may be a protective factor in relation to health”
From Leading a meaningful life at older ages and its relationship with social engagement, prosperity, health, biology, and time use (2019) · cites this paper as [5]
In the citing paper
“with longitudinal studies documenting associations with reduced premature mortality, slower development of age-related disability, reduced incidence of cardiovascular disease, healthier lifestyles, and more preventive behaviors”
From Leading a meaningful life at older ages and its relationship with social engagement, prosperity, health, biology, and time use (2019) · cites this paper as [5]
In the citing paper
“In numerous prospective research studies, higher PIL has been associated with better self-rated health,22 fewer chronic diseases (eg, stroke,8,19 myocardial infarctions9), reduced pain,11 less disability,7,10,11 less dementia and Alzheimer's disease,23 and reduced mortality.6,10,11”
From Purpose in Life and Positive Health Outcomes Among Older Adults (2018) · cites this paper as [7]
In the citing paper
“As in other studies, there were minimal demographic differences with the exception of those 80 years of age and older having lower PIL.”
From Purpose in Life and Positive Health Outcomes Among Older Adults (2018) · cites this paper as [7]
In the citing paper
“However, the average PIL score of 3.9 in this study was generally in the same range as other studies with 5 responses.”
From Purpose in Life and Positive Health Outcomes Among Older Adults (2018) · cites this paper as [7]
In the citing paper
“The strong correlations between PIL, resilience, and social support have been documented in other studies as well.”
From Purpose in Life and Positive Health Outcomes Among Older Adults (2018) · cites this paper as [7]
In the citing paper
“Interventions focused exclusively on PIL have yet to be developed, although several researchers have recommended a focus on goal-driven, meaningful activities defined as hobbies, volunteerism, religious involvement, or physical activities.”
From Purpose in Life and Positive Health Outcomes Among Older Adults (2018) · cites this paper as [7]
In the citing paper
“Interventions focused exclusively on PIL have yet to be developed, although several researchers have recommended a focus on goal-driven, meaningful activities defined as hobbies, volunteerism, religious involvement, or physical activities.”
From Purpose in Life and Positive Health Outcomes Among Older Adults (2018) · cites this paper as [7]
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“Other studies have also found that older adults with purpose in life are likely to experience less pain, less disability (Boyle et al., 2010), less dementia and Alzheimer’s disease (Boyle et al., 2010), fewer incidents of stroke (Kim et al., 2013), fewer sleep problems (Kim et al., 2015) and…”
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A systematic review on Purpose in Life in Emerging AdulthoodPreprint
Banda, R., Lleó, Á., & García‐Manglano, J. (2025) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.5151864
Sarfraz, T., & Arshad, T. (2025) · Ageing International · doi:10.1007/s12126-025-09599-8
“Previous empirical work has also found that a sense of purpose in life has benefi - cial health outcomes as it tends to be a protective factor for individuals suffering from stroke, cardiovascular problems, sleep disturbances, and functional disability (Boyle et al., 2010 ; Kim et al., 2019).”
The SPARK Program: An Effective Intervention for Fostering Purpose in Life in University StudentsPreprint
Banda, R., García‐Manglano, J., & Lleó, Á. (2025) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.5151966
Pollak, C., & Blumen, H. M. (2025) · doi:10.2196/preprints.77955
Kim, E., Cutrona, C. E., & Russell, D. W. (2025) · The Journal of Positive Psychology · doi:10.1080/17439760.2025.2500565
“Purpose in life has been widely proposed as a significant predictor of positive health outcomes, including lower risk of chronic diseases (Boyle et al., 2010), physical disability (Cohen et al., 2016), and mental illness (Battersby & Phillips, 2016; Steger et al., 2009; Van der Heyden et al., 2015).”
Ruiu, L., Arnoux-Nicolas, C., & Bernaud, J. (2025) · Pratiques Psychologiques · doi:10.1016/j.prps.2025.03.002
Edjolo, A. (2014) · theses.fr (ABES) · doi:10.70675/17908641z8817z4d4dz9326z1188742e5e8f
“609 * As much as 450 (63) 213 (61) * 426 (59) 486 (61) * Less 21 (3) 13 (4) * 32 (4) 28 (4) * Composition of relatives Equivalent (ref.”
Abellaneda‐Pérez, K., Cattaneo, G., Cabello‐Toscano, M. R., Sánchez, J. S., Mulet‐Pons, L., Vaqué‐Alcázar, L., Perellón‐Alfonso, R., Solé‐Padullés, C., Bargalló, N., Tormos, J. M., et al. (2024) · Figshare · doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.26574853
Morgan, B. E., Breder, K., & David, D. (2026) · Aging & Mental Health · doi:10.1080/13607863.2026.2666281
“Lower perceived meaning in life is associated with worse cognitive and physical function, and even carries higher rates of mortality (Boyle et al., 2009, 2010a, 2010b; Steptoe et al., 2015).”
Meaning in Life and Biological Functioning: A Multisystem Synthesis and Agenda for Future Research.
Fischer, I. C. (2026) · Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2026.106839
“Longitudinal analyses have also shown that greater PIL predicts lower incidence of stroke, myocardial infarction, and metabolic disease, as well as better physical functioning and reduced disability over time (Kim et al., 2013a, 2013b; Hill and Turiano, 2014; Boyle et al., 2010; Hafez et al., 2018).”
Toyama, M., & Giroski, A. B. (2026) · The International Journal of Aging and Human Development · doi:10.1177/00914150261467671
Vasconcellos, T. H. F., Cipolli, G. C., Campos, V. L. M., Borim, F. S. A., & Yassuda, M. S. (2026) · Geriatrics Gerontology and Aging · doi:10.53886/gga.e0000409_pt
Farmer, H. R., Wroten, E., Szelestei, L., Sajjadi, M., & Stokes, J. E. (2026) · The Journals of Gerontology Series B · doi:10.1093/geronb/gbag164
Metadata
- Authors
- Boyle, P. A., Buchman, A. S., & Bennett, D. A.
- Affiliations
- Rush University Medical Center (US)
- Corresponding author
- Boyle, Patricia A.
- Venue
- The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2010-12
- Volume
- 18
- Issue
- 12
- Pages
- 1093-1102
- ISSN
- 1064-7481 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC2992099
- OpenAlex
- W2038900041
- Cited by
- 185
- References
- 50
- Citations by year
- 2026: 7 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 17 · 2023: 13 · 2022: 15 · 2021: 17 · 2020: 21 · 2019: 9 · 2018: 14 · 2017: 17 · 2016: 13 · 2015: 11 · 2014: 7 · 2013: 8 · 2012: 4
- FWCI
- 4.14
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute on Aging (R01AG017917, R01-AG-24480, R01‐AG17917, K23AG023040, K23AG040, R01AG024480)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Aging, Health, and Disability
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Aging and Gerontology Research
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research
- Keywords
- meaning of life, incident disability, older adults, activities of daily living, instrumental activities of daily living, mobility impairment, functional status, community-dwelling older adults, retirement communities, Rush Memory and Aging Project
- MeSH terms
- Activities of Daily Living, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Aging, Dementia, Disability Evaluation, Female, Goals, Humans, Longitudinal Studies, Male, Middle Aged, Residence Characteristics, Risk Factors, Intention
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