Self-reported sense of purpose in life and proxy-reported behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia in the last year of life

Abstract

Objectives:Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) are among the most challenging aspects of dementia for individuals living with dementia and their caregivers. Identifying factors associated with resilience to BPSD may inform interventions to reduce them. The present research examines whether purpose in life is associated with BPSD in the last year of life.

Method:Participants from the Health and Retirement Study were selected if they reported on their sense of purpose, had evidence of a memory impairment, died across the follow-up, and a proxy completed the End of Life survey that included BPSD (N = 2473). Self-reported sense of purpose was tested as a predictor of the sum of symptoms and each indivdual symptom in the last year of life.

Results:Purpose in life was associated with fewer BPSD overall. Of the individual symptoms, purpose was associated with less risk of psychological symptoms, specfiically less depression, periodic confusion, uncontrolled temper, but not with motor or perceptual symptoms.

Conclusion: These results are consistent with growing evidence that purpose is associated with better cognitive outcomes. Purpose may be a useful target of intervention to improve outcomes across the spectrum of dementia

Keywords:

• Purpose in life
• BPSD
• behavioral symptoms
• End of Life
• dementia

Acknowledgment

The Health and Retirement Study is conducted by the University of Michigan.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health under Award Numbers R01AG053297 and R01AG068093. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. The Health and Retirement Study is sponsored by the National Institute on Aging (NIA-U01AG009740) and conducted by the University of Michigan.