TY - JOUR T1 - Building sense of purpose in older adulthood: Examining the role of supportive relationships. JF - The Journal of Positive Psychology Y1 - 2020 A1 - Sara J Weston A1 - Nathan A Lewis A1 - Patrick L Hill KW - No terms assigned KW - older adulthood KW - Sense of purpose KW - Social Support KW - Well-being AB - Having supportive others appears valuable for developing a purpose, at least during adolescence and young adulthood. However, work has yet to consider whether sense of purpose and social support change in tandem or predict one another during older adulthood. Using a subsample (N = 7,452) of older adults from the Health and Retirement Study, we estimate the associations of purpose in life to social support and social strain in four domains (spouses/partners, children, family, friends) using bivariate growth models. Participants provided responses at three assessment occasions, 4 years apart. Analyses controlled for social contact frequency to focus on the unique role of supportive relationships. Initial levels of support correlated positively with levels for sense of purpose, while strain was negatively associated with purpose. Moreover, with the exception of family support, changes in sense of purpose were correlated with changes in support and strain in the same direction across doma UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2020.1725607 ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Is Healthy Neuroticism Associated with Health Behaviors? A Coordinated Integrative Data Analysis JF - Collabra: Psychology Y1 - 2020 A1 - Graham, Eileen A1 - Sara J Weston A1 - Nicholas A. Turiano A1 - Damaris Aschwanden A1 - Booth, Tom A1 - Harrison, Fleur A1 - James, Byran A1 - Nathan A Lewis A1 - Makkar, Steven A1 - Mueller, Swantje A1 - Wisniewski, Kristi A1 - Yoneda, Tomiko A1 - Zhaoyang, Ruixue A1 - Avron Spiro III A1 - Willis, Sherry A1 - K. Warner Schaie A1 - Sliwinski, Martin A1 - Lipton, Richard A1 - Katz, Mindy A1 - Ian J Deary A1 - Elizabeth Zelinski A1 - David A Bennett A1 - Sachdev, P S A1 - Brodaty, H A1 - Troller, Julian A1 - Ames, David A1 - Margaret J Wright A1 - Denis Gerstorf A1 - Allemand, Mathias A1 - Drewelies, Johanna A1 - Wagner, Gert G A1 - Muniz-Terrera, Graciela A1 - Andrea M Piccinin A1 - Scott M Hofer A1 - Daniel K. Mroczek KW - Coordinated IDA KW - Health behaviors KW - Healthy Neuroticism AB - Current literature suggests that neuroticism is positively associated with maladaptive life choices, likelihood of disease, and mortality. However, recent research has identified circumstances under which neuroticism is associated with positive outcomes. The current project examined whether “healthy neuroticism”, defined as the interaction of neuroticism and conscientiousness, was associated with the following health behaviors: smoking, alcohol consumption, and physical activity. Using a pre-registered multi-study coordinated integrative data analysis (IDA) approach, we investigated whether “healthy neuroticism” predicted the odds of engaging in each of the aforementioned activities. Each study estimated identical models, using the same covariates and data transformations, enabling optimal comparability of results. These results were then meta-analyzed in order to estimate an average (N-weighted) effect and to ascertain the extent of heterogeneity in the effects. Overall, these results suggest that neuroticism alone was not related to health behaviors, while individuals higher in conscientiousness were less likely to be smokers or drinkers, and more likely to engage in physical activity. In terms of the healthy neuroticism interaction of neuroticism and conscientiousness, significant interactions for smoking and physical activity suggest that the association between neuroticism and health behaviors was smaller among those high in conscientiousness. These findings lend credence to the idea that healthy neuroticism may be linked to certain health behaviors and that these effects are generalizable across several heterogeneous samples. VL - 6 IS - 1 ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Evaluating eight-year trajectories for sense of purpose in the Health and Retirement Study. JF - Aging & Mental Health Y1 - 2019 A1 - Patrick L Hill A1 - Sara J Weston KW - Health Conditions and Status KW - Purpose in life KW - Well-being AB -

OBJECTIVES: Though cross-sectional research has suggested that sense of purpose declines into older adulthood, it remains unclear whether inter-individual variability occurs in these trajectories, and what factors predict these trajectories. The current study provides one of the first longitudinal investigations into how individuals' sense of purpose fluctuates in older adulthood.

METHOD: Participants from the Health and Retirement Study (n = 4,234, mean age = 65 years), completed assessments of sense of purpose over three years, along with multiple potential predictors (health, personality, demographics) at the start.

RESULTS: Second-order latent growth models demonstrated both mean-level declines on purpose over time, as well as the capacity for inter-individual variability in change patterns for retired adults. Among this cohort, health status, educational attainment, and marital status were significant predictors of purpose trajectories over time, though broad personality trait dimensions failed to uniquely predict change in sense of purpose. However, measurement invariance tests suggest that the scale did not operate similarly across work status groups.

CONCLUSION: Findings advance the previous literature by demonstrating inter-individual variability in sense of purpose for those participants who had retired. Future research should consider that purpose inventories may operate differently for those in the workplace versus retired adults.

VL - 23 IS - 2 U1 - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29212348?dopt=Abstract ER - TY - JOUR T1 - The co-development of perceived support and the Big Five in middle and older adulthood JF - International Journal of Behavioral Development Y1 - 2018 A1 - Patrick L Hill A1 - Sara J Weston KW - Personality KW - Retirement Planning and Satisfaction KW - Self-reported health KW - Social Support AB - The current study examined whether relationships also influence personality trait development during middle and older adulthood, focusing on the individual's perception of support from the relationship partner. Using data from the Health and Retirement Study (n = 20,422; mean age = 65.9 years), we examined the longitudinal relationships between Big Five personality trait levels and perceived support from children, family, friends, and spouses. Results found that participants who reported more positive social support and lower negative support also tended to score higher on conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and openness to experience, but lower on neuroticism. Moreover, changes in positive support across relationship partners coincided with trait changes over time, in the form of more positive support was associated with seemingly adaptive changes on the Big Five. Findings are discussed with respect to identifying social influences on personality development in adulthood. VL - 42 IS - 1 JO - International Journal of Behavioral Development ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Connecting Social Environment Variables to the Onset of Major Specific Health Outcomes JF - Psychology and Health Y1 - 2014 A1 - Patrick L Hill A1 - Sara J Weston A1 - Joshua J Jackson KW - Adult children KW - Demographics KW - Health Conditions and Status AB - Abstract Objective: The present research examined the effects of the social environment on the onset of specific health ailments. Design: Using data from the Health and Retirement Study, we examined participants? responses to social environment questions in 2006 as predictors of onset of different health conditions over the next four years. Main Outcome Measures: Healthy participants (n = 7514) reported on their number of social partners, interaction frequency, positive social support, and negative social support with respect to both their family and friends. These variables were used to predict onset of seven conditions in 2010: high blood pressure, heart condition, lung disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes, and arthritis. Results: Logistic regressions indicated that the social environment provided some predictive value for onset of most health outcomes, with more positive and less negative social support appearing to buffer against onset. Social environmental variables related to friendships appeared to play a greater role than the family indicators. However, no variable proved universally adaptive, and social indicators had little value in predicting onset of chronic conditions. Conclusion: The current findings point to the potential for the social environment to influence later health, while demonstrating the nuanced role that our social lives play with respect to health. Objective: The present research examined the effects of the social environment on the onset of specific health ailments. Design: Using data from the Health and Retirement Study, we examined participants? responses to social environment questions in 2006 as predictors of onset of different health conditions over the next four years. Main Outcome Measures: Healthy participants (n = 7514) reported on their number of social partners, interaction frequency, positive social support, and negative social support with respect to both their family and friends. These variables were used to predict onset of seven conditions in 2010: high blood pressure, heart condition, lung disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes, and arthritis. Results: Logistic regressions indicated that the social environment provided some predictive value for onset of most health outcomes, with more positive and less negative social support appearing to buffer against onset. Social environmental variables related to friendships appeared to play a greater role than the family indicators. However, no variable proved universally adaptive, and social indicators had little value in predicting onset of chronic conditions. Conclusion: The current findings point to the potential for the social environment to influence later health, while demonstrating the nuanced role that our social lives play with respect to health. PB - 29 VL - 29 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08870446.2014.884221 IS - 7 U4 - Social Environment/Ailment Onset/Social Support/Social Network Size ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Personality Traits Predict the Onset of Disease JF - Social Psychological and Personality Science Y1 - 2014 A1 - Sara J Weston A1 - Patrick L Hill A1 - Joshua J Jackson KW - Health Conditions and Status KW - Healthcare AB - While personality traits have been linked concurrently to health status and prospectively to outcomes such as mortality, it is currently unknown whether traits predict the diagnosis of a number of specific diseases (e.g., lung disease, heart disease, and stroke) that may account for their mortality effects more generally. A sample (N = 6,904) of participants from the Health and Retirement Study, a longitudinal study of older adults, completed personality measures and reported on current health conditions. Four years later, participants were followed up to see if they developed a new disease. Initial cross-sectional analyses replicated past findings that personality traits differ across disease groups. Longitudinal logistic regression analyses predicting new disease diagnosis suggest that traits are associated with the risk of developing disease most notably the traits of conscientiousness, neuroticism, and openness. Findings are discussed as a means to identify pathways between personality and health. VL - 6 UR - http://spp.sagepub.com/content/early/2014/10/13/1948550614553248.abstract IS - 3 U4 - personality/personality/health outcomes/disease groups/conscientiousness/conscientiousness/openness/neuroticism/personality traits ER -