Search

Objectives While personal growth has been found to be associated with multiple aspects of health in adulthood, its associations with cognitive functioning have not been fully understood. The present study aimed to assess both directions of such longitudinal associations. Method Using data from the second wave (Time 1 [T1]) and third wave (Time 2 [T2]) of the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study (N = 4,206; mean age = 56.0 [standard deviation (SD) = 12.3]), a longitudinal measurement model containing latent variables of episodic memory and executive function was first constructed. Built on the measurement model, a cross-lagged panel model was analyzed to assess relationships between personal growth and the two areas of cognitive functioning, in which T1 personal growth predicted residualized changes in episodic memory and executive function, and T1 episodic memory and executive function predicted change in personal growth, controlling for covariates. Results T1 personal growth significantly predicted smaller decreases in episodic memory, whereas it did not predict change in executive function. T1 episodic memory, but not T1 executive function, significantly predicted smaller decreases in personal growth. Discussion The present findings were unique, particularly implying potential longitudinal reciprocity between personal growth and episodic memory. These findings and implications can inform future research aimed at exploring approaches to promoting personal growth and cognitive functioning among aging adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The longitudinal associations of primary and secondary control with two distinct aspects of happiness including hedonic/subjective and eudaimonic/psychological well-being had not been fully studied. The present study aimed to contribute to the literature by examining these associations and their age differences. Using data from the second and third waves of the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS; N = 4963, aged 28 to 84 at baseline), the present study conducted structural equation modeling analyses to examine whether one primary control strategy (persistence in goal striving) and two secondary control strategies (positive reappraisals and lowering aspirations) predicted residualized changes in the latent constructs of subjective well-being (SWB) and psychological well-being (PWB) and whether there were age differences in these associations. The results indicate that persistence in goal striving and lowering aspirations overall predicted changes in PWB while none of the control strategies did for SWB, but some age differences were found. Whereas these differences somewhat varied for the outcomes of SWB and PWB, the findings indicate tendencies for older individuals compared to younger individuals of more negative (or less positive) associations of persistence in goal striving and more positive (or less negative) and more negative associations of positive reappraisals and lowering aspirations, respectively, with these outcomes. The present study suggested potential directions of future research aimed at further examining the role of primary and secondary control for happiness and exploring potential interventions to promote happiness, for example, by modifying primary and/or secondary control for adults of different ages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]