The Role of Purpose in Life in the Relationship Between Widowhood and Cognitive Decline Among Older Adults in the U.S.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to examine the role of purpose in life in the relationship between widowhood and cognitive decline. METHODS: This study used a sample of 12,856 respondents (20,408 observations) collected from a national panel survey, the 2006-2014 waves of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), that sampled older adults aged 50 or older. The study estimated growth-curve models with years since spousal death, purpose in life, and interaction between the two to predict cognition using three measures-total cognition, fluid, and crystallized intelligence scores. We also estimated growth-curve models by sex, race/ethnicity, and education. RESULTS: While years since spousal death negatively correlated with cognition, purpose in life positively correlated with cognition. Furthermore, purpose in life had a moderating effect on the relationship between years since spousal death and cognition. This effect was found by using total cognition (coef. = 0.0515; z = 2.64; p < 0.01) and fluid intelligence scores (coef. = 0.0576; z = 3.23; p < 0.05). The same effects were salient among females (coef. = 0.0556; z = 2.19; p < 0.05), Whites (coef. = 0.0526; z = 2.52; p < 0.05), and older adults with more education (coef. = 0.0635; z = 2.10; p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Higher purpose in life relates to the negative correlations between widowhood and cognition of older adults. Educational programs improving purpose in life are a possible avenue for reducing the adverse effect of widowhood on cognition and warrant future exploration.

Momentary Associations of Osteoarthritis Pain and Affect: Depression as Moderator.

OBJECTIVES: This research examined main and moderating effects of global depressive symptoms upon in-the-moment associations of pain and affect among individuals with knee osteoarthritis (OA). Effects of depression on short-term change in pain and affect were also examined. METHOD: Older adults with physician-confirmed OA (N = 325) completed a baseline interview tapping global depressive symptoms, followed by an experience sampling protocol that captured momentary pain and affect 4 times daily for 7 days. Multilevel models controlling demographics and health conditions examined main and moderating effects of depression on momentary associations of pain with positive affect (PA) and negative affect (NA). Similar methods addressed short-term change in pain and affect. Auxiliary analyses explored broad associations of depressive symptoms with person-level averages and variability in pain and affect. RESULTS: Global depression predicted current pain, PA, and NA, as well as change in pain and affect over a 3- to 8-h period. Furthermore, both in the moment and over short periods, the association of pain and NA was stronger among persons higher in depressive symptoms. No moderating effect for the PA-pain association was found. Depressive symptoms were also associated with variability in pain and affect, particularly NA. DISCUSSION: Results confirm previous work on the relation of chronic pain with both global depressive symptoms and short-term affect. This research further demonstrates a unique moderating role of depression on the association of momentary pain with NA and suggests that the causal path may be stronger from pain to affect than vice versa.