Purpose in Life as a System that Creates and Sustains Health and Well-Being: An Integrative, Testable Theory

O presente estudo objetivou avaliar os índices de sentido de vida (SV), de bem-estar psicológico (BEP) e de qualidade de vida (QV) em uma ampla amostra de professores escolares, e observar como o SV poderia atuar como variável moderadora da relação entre o BEP e a QV geral. Participaram do estudo 517 professores, de 57 escolas públicas e privadas da cidade de Campina Grande, Paraíba, Brasil, sendo 174 homens e 343 mulheres (idade média de 36,5 anos, DP = 10,34). Os resultados demonstraram que uma parcela significativa de profissionais apresentou índices negativos de SV, BEP e QV. Análises inferenciais apresentaram o SV como uma variável preditora tanto de BEP quanto de QV. Análises de moderação demonstraram que o BEP e a QV geral apresentam correlações distintas para sujeitos com alto e com baixo nível de SV. Reflexões para pesquisas futuras e intervenções em saúde do trabalhador são apontadas.

a b s t r a c t a r t i c l e i n f oArticle history: Received 6 April 2015 Received in revised form 10 July 2015 Accepted 14 July 2015 Available online 1 August 2015 Keywords: Self-regulation Regulatory focus Self-discrepancy Attachment Individuals orient themselves in relationships using different goals and preoccupations, often conceptualized as four distinct attachment styles (Bartholomew & Horowitz, 1991). Individuals also orient themselves in the social world more broadly using different motivational preferences and styles. Self-discrepancy theory (Higgins, 1987) and regulatory focus theory (Higgins, 1997) are two frameworks used to conceptualize these motivational styles. In two studies we investigated the extent to which preoccupations in relationships reflected broader life goals. In Study 1, college participants reported attachment style and selfdiscrepancies (ideal and ought selves). In Study 2, community participants reported attachment style and regulatory focus (promotion and prevention orientations). Across two different samples, using distinct but complementary theoretical frameworks, we found a consistent pattern whereby a more approachoriented relationship orientation (secure attachment), was related to a more approach-oriented general life orientation (lower actual-ideal discrepancy and greater promotion focus). Interestingly, attachment style was unrelated to avoidance-oriented motivational styles. These results suggest that motivations within relationships may be specifically related to growth motivations in broader aspects of life.

Purpose in life has been linked with better health (mental and physical) and health behaviors, but its link with patterns of health care use are understudied. We hypothesized that people with higher purpose would be more proactive in taking care of their health, as indicated by a higher likelihood of using preventive health care services. We also hypothesized that people with higher purpose would spend fewer nights in the hospital. Participants (n = 7,168) were drawn from the Health and Retirement Study, a nationally representative panel study of American adults over the age of 50, and tracked for 6 y. After adjusting for sociodemographic factors, each unit increase in purpose (on a six-point scale) was associated with a higher likelihood that people would obtain a cholesterol test [odds ratio (OR) = 1.18, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.08-1.29] or colonoscopy (OR = 1.06, 95% CI = 0.99-1.14). Furthermore, females were more likely to receive a mammogram/ X-ray (OR = 1.27, 95% CI = 1.16-1.39) or pap smear (OR = 1.16, 95% CI = 1.06-1.28), and males were more likely to receive a prostate examination (OR = 1.31, 95% CI = 1.18-1.45). Each unit increase in purpose was also associated with 17% fewer nights spent in the hospital (rate ratio = 0.83, 95% CI = 0.77-0.89). An increasing number of randomized controlled trials show that purpose in life can be raised. Therefore, with additional research, findings from this study may inform the development of new strategies that increase the use of preventive health care services, offset the burden of rising health care costs, and enhance the quality of life among people moving into the ranks of our aging society.purpose in life | meaning in life | well-being | health screening T hree factors converge to underscore the heightened importance of preventive health care services among United States adults. First, there is the rapidly aging population: by 2050, the number of United States adults over the age of 65 is estimated to double (1). Second, there is the rising cost of medical care: chronic illnesses and end-of-life issues that older adults face are expensive. The Congressional Budget office projects that spending on Medicare will nearly double as a share of gross domestic product (GDP), from 3.7% in 2012 to 7.3% by 2050 (2). Third, despite spending more on health care than any country in the world, United States adults generally have poorer health and lower life expectancies than those in other developed countries (3,4). This health disadvantage is not solely attributable to those who are poor and underprivileged, because even wealthy, educated Americans are in poorer health than their counterparts in comparable countries (3, 4).These troublesome realities could be offset by greater use of preventive health care services, which are known to enhance health and reduce health care costs. However, in 2007 the Brookings Institution estimated that only 4% of the $1.7 trillion spent on national health expenditures was for prevention (5). Older adults, in particular, use less prev...