Linking Sense of Purpose and Multiple Markers of Health in Older Adulthood: A Bidirectional Approach

Sense of purpose is a key construct explaining individual differences in health. However, much is still unclear about how sense of purpose and health affect each other over time in older age. Using four waves of data from the Health and Retirement Study (N = 11,390) spanning 12 years, we investigated the reciprocal associations between sense of purpose and multiple objective and subjective markers of health (e.g., self-reported health; grip strength). Across the 12 years, better health was associated with higher levels of purpose for all investigated health markers. Cross-lagged panel models implied reciprocal associations for six of the 11 health markers. When looking at within-person associations (i.e., random intercept cross-lagged models), purpose emerged as a stronger predictor of later health than the other way around, with purpose changes predicting subsequent changes in five health markers while changes in only two health markers predicted later changes in purpose. Taken together, these findings further support the notion that sense of purpose has protective effects against health decline in older age. We discuss the findings in the context of lifespan theory and emphasize the potential benefit of considering sense of purpose as a potential target for public health interventions.