Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-94fs2 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-14T07:26:45.420Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Relationship of Purpose in Life to Dementia in Older Black and White Brazilians

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 October 2021

Robert S. Wilson Open the ORCID record for Robert S. Wilson [Opens in a new window] ,
Ana W. Capuano ,
Carolina Sampaio ,
Sue E. Leurgans ,
Lisa L. Barnes ,
Patricia A. Boyle ,
Jose M. Farfel  and
David A. Bennett
Robert S. Wilson*
Affiliation:
Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA Department of Neurological Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
Ana W. Capuano
Affiliation:
Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA Department of Neurological Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA Instituto de Assistencia Medica ao Servidor Publico do Estado (IAMSPE), Sao Paulo, Brazil
Carolina Sampaio
Affiliation:
Instituto de Assistencia Medica ao Servidor Publico do Estado (IAMSPE), Sao Paulo, Brazil
Sue E. Leurgans
Affiliation:
Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA Department of Neurological Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
Lisa L. Barnes
Affiliation:
Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA Department of Neurological Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
Patricia A. Boyle
Affiliation:
Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
Jose M. Farfel
Affiliation:
Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA Instituto de Assistencia Medica ao Servidor Publico do Estado (IAMSPE), Sao Paulo, Brazil
David A. Bennett
Affiliation:
Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA Department of Neurological Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA Instituto de Assistencia Medica ao Servidor Publico do Estado (IAMSPE), Sao Paulo, Brazil
*
*Correspondence and reprint requests to: Robert S. Wilson, PhD, Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, 1750 West Harrison Street, Suite 1000, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA. E-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Objectives:

To test the hypothesis that higher level of purpose in life is associated with lower likelihood of dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in older Brazilians.

Methods:

As part of the Pathology, Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias Study (PARDoS), informants of 1,514 older deceased Brazilians underwent a uniform structured interview. The informant interview included demographic data, the Clinical Dementia Rating scale to diagnose dementia and MCI, the National Institute of Mental Health Diagnostic Interview Schedule for depression, and a 6-item measure of purpose in life, a component of well-being.

Results:

Purpose scores ranged from 1.5 to 5.0 with higher values indicating higher levels of purpose. On the Clinical Dementia Rating Scale, 940 persons (62.1%) had no cognitive impairment, 121 (8.0%) had MCI, and 453 (29.9%) had dementia. In logistic regression models adjusted for age at death, sex, education, and race, higher purpose was associated with lower likelihood of MCI (odds ratio = .58; 95% confidence interval [CI]: .43, .79) and dementia (odds ratio = .49, 95% CI: .41, .59). Results were comparable after adjusting for depression (identified in 161 [10.6%]). Neither race nor education modified the association of purpose with cognitive diagnoses.

Conclusions:

Higher purpose in life is associated with lower likelihood of MCI and dementia in older black and white Brazilians.

Keywords

Well-beingMild cognitive impairmentDementiaRaceBrazilDecedents
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society , Volume 28 , Issue 10 , November 2022 , pp. 997 - 1002
Copyright
Copyright © INS. Published by Cambridge University Press, 2021

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Boyle, P.A., Buchman, A.S., Barnes, L.L., & Bennett, D.A. (2010). Effect of purpose in life on risk of incident Alzheimer’s disease and mild cognitive impairment in community-dwelling older persons. Archives of General Psychiatry, 67, 304–310.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Boyle, P.A., Buchman, A.S., Wilson, R.S., Yu, L., Schneider, J.A., & Bennett, D.A. (2012). Effect of purpose in life on the relation between Alzheimer disease pathologic changes on cognitive function in advanced age. Archives of General Psychiatry, 69, 499–505.Google ScholarPubMed
Cesetti, G., Vescovelli, F., & Ruini, C. (2017). The promotion of well-being in aging individuals living in nursing homes: a controlled pilot intervention with narrative strategies. Clinical Gerontology, 40, 380–391.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ferretti, R.E., Damin, A.E., Brucki, S.M.D., Morillo, L.S., Perroco, T.R., Campora, F., … Nitrini, R. (2010). Post-mortem diagnosis of dementia by informant interview. Dementia and Neuropsychology, 4, 138–144.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Frankl, V.E. (1959). Man’s Search for Meaning. Boston: Beacon Press.Google Scholar
Friedman, E.M., Ruini, C., Foy, C.R., Jaros, L., Love, G., & Ryff, C.D. (2019). Lighten UP! A community-based group intervention to promote Eudaimonic well-being in older adults: a multi-site replication with 6 month follow-up. Clinical Gerontology, 42, 387–397.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Heaven, B., Brown, L.J., & White, M. (2013). Supporting well-being in retirement through meaningful social roles: systematic review of intervention studies. Milbank Quarterly, 9, 222–287.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hill, P.L., Turiano, N.A., Spiro, A., & Mroczek, D.K. (2015). Understanding inter-individual variability in purpose: longitudinal findings from the VA Normative aging study. Psychology and Aging, 30, 529–533.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hill, P.L. & Weston, S.J. (2019). Evaluating eight-year trajectories for sense of purpose in the health and retirement study. Aging and Mental Health, 23, 233–237.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kim, G., Shin, S.H., Scicolone, M.A., & Parmelee, P. (2019). Purpose in life protects against cognitive decline among older adults. American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 27, 593–601.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lewis, N.A., Turiano, N.A., Payne, B.R., & Hill, P.L. (2017). Purpose in life and cognitive functioning in adulthood. Neuropsychology, Development, and Cognition. Section B, Aging, Neuropsychology and Cognition, 24, 662–671.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Morris, J.C. (1993). The Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR): current version and scoring rules. Neurology, 43, 2412–2414.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Moss, A.S., Reibel, D.K., & Greeson, J.M. (2015). An adaptive mindfulness-based stress reduction program for elders in a continuing care retirement community: quantitative and qualitative results from a randomized controlled trial. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 34, 518–538.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ribeiro, C.C., Yassuda, M.S., & Neri, A.L. (2020). Purpose in life in adulthood and older adulthood: integrative review. Cien Saude Colet, 25, 2127–2142.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Robins, L.N., Helzer, J.E., & Croughan, J. (1981). National Institute of Mental Health Diagnostic Interview Schedule: history, characteristics, validity. Archives of General Psychiatry, 38, 381–389.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ryff, C.D. (1989). Happiness is everything, or is it? Explorations on the meaning of psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 57, 1069–1081.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ryff, C.D. & Keyes, C.L. (1995). The structure of well-being revisited. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 69, 719–727.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Saczynski, J.S., Beiser, A., Seshadri, S., Auerbach, S., Wolf, P.A., & Au, R. (2010). Depressive symptoms and risk of dementia: the Framingham Heart Study. Neurology 75, 35–41.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Saldanha, N.M., Suemoto, C.K., Rodriguez, R.D., Leite, R.E.P., Nascimento, C., Ferreti-Rebustini, R., … Nunes, P.V. (2020). Beta-amyloid pathology is not assocaited with depression in a large community-based autopsy study. Journal of Affective Disorders, 278, 372–381.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sutin, A.R., Luchetti, M., Stephan, Y., & Terracciano, A. (2020). Meaning in life and risk of cognitive impairment: a 9-year prospective study. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 88, 104033.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sutin, A.R., Stephan, Y., & Terracciano, A. (2018). Psychological well-being and risk of dementia. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 33, 743–747.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Waite, L., Grayson, D., Jorm, A.F., Creasey, H., Cullen, J., Bennett, H., Casey, B., & Broe, G.A. (1999). Informant-based staging of dementia using the clinical dementia rating. Alzheimer’s Disease and Associated Disorders, 13, 34–37.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wilson, R.S., Boyle, P.A., Segawa, E., Yu, L., Begeny, C.T., Anagnos, S.E., & Bennett, D.A. (2013). The influence of cognitive decline on well-being in old age. Psychology and Aging, 28, 304–313.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed