ArticleAnnals of behavioral medicine : a publication of the Society of Behavioral Medicine2018
Perceptions of Purpose in Life Within Spousal Care Dyads: Associations With Emotional and Physical Caregiving Difficulties.
Article in Annals of behavioral medicine : a publication of the Society of Behavioral Medicine, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Purpose in Life in Older Adults: A Systematic Review on Conceptualization, Measures, and Determinants.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Pooled it
- The effect of burden and loneliness on depression in female caregivers through purpose in life.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Meaning of life and stress-coping strategies for broken heart syndrome patients.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Race Differences in Purpose in Life Among Family Caregivers: Findings From the Caregiving Transitions Study.Journal of applied gerontology : the official journal of the Southern Gerontological Society · 2025Article
- Implications of Rebalancing Home-Based Care for Family Caregivers to Older Adults.Journal of applied gerontology : the official journal of the Southern Gerontological Society · 2025Article
- Sense of Purpose in Life and Subjective Cognitive Failures.Personality and individual differences · 2023Article
- The Impact of Care Intensity and Work on the Mental Health of Family Caregivers: Losses and Gains.The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences · 2022Article
- The Caregiver Identity in Context: Consequences of Identity Threat From Siblings.The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences · 2021Article
- Sense of Purpose in Life and Cardiovascular Disease: Underlying Mechanisms and Future Directions.Current cardiology reports · 2019Review
- Purpose in Life Among Family Care Partners Managing Dementia: Links to Caregiving Gains.The Gerontologist · 2019Article
- Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Background: Greater feelings of purpose in life are associated with better health and may reduce the negative impact of chronic stress. Yet little is known about how purpose in life may buffer the negative effects of caregiving, a common chronic stressor in middle and later life. Methods: This cross-sectional study utilized a U.S. sample of 315 spousal caregivers and their partners with functional disability drawn from the 2011 National Health and Aging Trends Study and National Study of Caregiving to examine how both parties' perceptions of purpose in life are associated with caregivers' emotional and physical caregiving difficulties. We also evaluated whether care recipients' purpose in life moderates the association between caregivers' purpose in life and care-related difficulties. Finally, we considered whether these links differed by caregiver gender. Models controlled for caregivers' sociodemographics, care tasks, support resources, valued activity participation, and each care partner's health conditions. Results: Caregivers' greater purpose in life was significantly linked to fewer physical caregiving difficulties. Caregivers' greater purpose in life was significantly associated with fewer emotional care-related difficulties among caregiving wives and when care recipients' purpose in life was low. Conclusions: Although the associations between purpose in life and care-related difficulties are likely bidirectional, purpose in life may represent an important resource for combating the adverse consequences of caregiving. This study highlights the value of considering personal resources and their implications for caregivers' well-being within a dyadic context.
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Registered trials
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