Dataset Information

Antecedents of Purpose in Life: Evidence from A Lagged Exposure-Wide Analysis.

ABSTRACT: Potential antecedents to having a sense of purpose in life remain understudied. As researchers begin contemplating purpose as a promising target of public health intervention, it is critical to identify its antecedents. Using prospective data from the Nurses' Health Study II (2009-2016; N ranged from 3,905 to 4,189), this study evaluated a wide range of potential antecedents of purpose, including: psychosocial well-being, psychological distress, employment characteristics, lifestyle, and physical health factors. In separate regression models we regressed purpose in life on each candidate antecedent. In each model, we adjusted for the prior value of purpose, prior values of all exposure variables, and various other covariates simultaneously. Bonferroni correction was used to correct for multiple testing. The results suggested that positive affect and the number of close relatives were each associated with higher purpose (e.g., ?=0.14, 95% CI: 0.11, 0.17 for positive affect). Several psychological distress indicators were inversely associated with purpose, including depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, loneliness, and hopelessness (e.g., ?=-0.16, 95% CI: -0.19, -0.13 for depressive symptoms). There was also some evidence suggesting that fewer close friends, living alone, and unemployment/retirement were associated with lower purpose. There was, however, little evidence that health behaviors or physical health were associated with subsequent purpose. This study extends the literature by providing longitudinal evidence with rigorous analytic methodologies, and by considering a wide range of potential antecedents of purpose including some that have seldom been examined previously.

SUBMITTER: Chen Y

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7560975 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Antecedents of Purpose in Life: Evidence from A Lagged Exposure-Wide Analysis.

Chen Ying Y Kim Eric S ES Shields Alexandra E AE VanderWeele Tyler J TJ

Cogent psychology 20201006 1

Potential antecedents to having a sense of purpose in life remain understudied. As researchers begin contemplating purpose as a promising target of public health intervention, it is critical to identify its antecedents. Using prospective data from the Nurses' Health Study II (2009-2016; N ranged from 3,905 to 4,189), this study evaluated a wide range of potential antecedents of purpose, including: psychosocial well-being, psychological distress, employment characteristics, lifestyle, and physica ...[more]

PMID: 33072817

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Project description:ObjectiveDeath by suicide is a highly preventable yet growing worldwide health crisis. To date, there has been a lack of adequately powered genomic studies of suicide, with no sizable suicide death cohorts available for analysis. To address this limitation, the authors conducted the first comprehensive genomic analysis of suicide death using previously unpublished genotype data from a large population-ascertained cohort.MethodsThe analysis sample comprised 3,413 population-ascertained case subjects of European ancestry and 14,810 ancestrally matched control subjects. Analytical methods included principal component analysis for ancestral matching and adjusting for population stratification, linear mixed model genome-wide association testing (conditional on genetic-relatedness matrix), gene and gene set-enrichment testing, and polygenic score analyses, as well as single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) heritability and genetic correlation estimation using linkage disequilibrium score regression.ResultsGenome-wide association analysis identified two genome-wide significant loci (involving six SNPs: rs34399104, rs35518298, rs34053895, rs66828456, rs35502061, and rs35256367). Gene-based analyses implicated 22 genes on chromosomes 13, 15, 16, 17, and 19 (q<0.05). Suicide death heritability was estimated at an h2SNP value of 0.25 (SE=0.04) and a value of 0.16 (SE=0.02) when converted to a liability scale. Notably, suicide polygenic scores were significantly predictive across training and test sets. Polygenic scores for several other psychiatric disorders and psychological traits were also predictive, particularly scores for behavioral disinhibition and major depressive disorder.ConclusionsMultiple genome-wide significant loci and genes were identified and polygenic score prediction of suicide death case-control status was demonstrated, adjusting for ancestry, in independent training and test sets. Additionally, the suicide death sample was found to have increased genetic risk for behavioral disinhibition, major depressive disorder, depressive symptoms, autism spectrum disorder, psychosis, and alcohol use disorder compared with the control sample.

Dataset Information

Antecedents of Purpose in Life: Evidence from A Lagged Exposure-Wide Analysis.

Publications

Antecedents of Purpose in Life: Evidence from A Lagged Exposure-Wide Analysis.

Similar Datasets

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