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Objectives: Immigrants face multiple forms of cultural stress that hold pernicious influences on their psychological well-being, including everyday discrimination, bicultural stressors, and negative context of reception from others. Research thus is needed to consider potential buffers and mitigating factors that may help immigrant adults in the face of cultural stress. The present studies evaluated a sense of purpose as one potential buffer. Method: Study 1 asked immigrant adults in the Unites States to complete measures of the three cultural stress indicators in addition to sense of purpose and measures of well-being (depressive symptoms, anxiety, stress, self-esteem, self-rated health). Multiple regression analyses examined whether sense of purpose moderated the influence of cultural stress on immigrant well-being. Study 2 randomly assigned immigrant participants receive an experimental condition that asked participants to imagine a common cultural stressor faced by immigrants. Multiple regression analyses tested whether sense of purpose operated differently on postscenario affect across the control and experimental conditions. Results: Study 1 found that all cultural stress indicators negatively correlated with psychological well-being and sense of purpose. However, sense of purpose did not significantly moderate these associations. Study 2 found that imagining the cultural stressor led to worse momentary affective well-being, whereas sense of purpose was associated with better well-being. Again, sense of purpose did not interact with the condition to predict the postscenario affect. Conclusions: Sense of purpose was consistently associated with better psychological well-being. However, little evidence was found that sense of purpose mitigates the ill effects of cultural stress for immigrant adults. Public Significance Statement: With immigration increasing worldwide, research is needed to understand which factors may help promote resilience and well-being among immigrants. The present study demonstrates that sense of purpose is linked to better immigrant well-being, but it may be at risk for immigrants who experience culturally relevant stressors. Future research is needed to help mitigate the risk of cultural stressors for immigrants, both with respect to their sense of purpose and well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose/Objective: The goal of the current study is to examine the relationships between psychosocial factors and well-being among adults with Charcot–Marie–Tooth (CMT) disease, a progressive neuromuscular disorder. Specifically, we aimed to examine associations between psychosocial factors and sense of purpose as well as the moderating role of sense of purpose on associations between psychosocial factors and two other measures of well-being (life satisfaction and health-related quality of life). Research Method/Design: In 2021, we recruited 263 U.S. adults with CMT (Mage = 60.15 years, 58.56% female, 92.40% White) to take part in a cross-sectional study. Participants were asked to complete an online survey assessing components of well-being as well as various psychosocial factors. Results: Moderate-to-strong associations were found between most psychosocial factors assessed and sense of purpose in individuals with CMT. In addition, sense of purpose moderated the relationship between multiple psychosocial factors and other measures of well-being. Conclusions/Implications: Psychosocial factors may be important to consider when examining well-being among individuals with CMT. Furthermore, sense of purpose may be a beneficial tool for promoting well-being in this population. Impact and Implications: This study adds to the literature by investigating well-being among adults with Charcot–Marie–Tooth (CMT) disease, a population that has been underrepresented in psychology research. The results of this study could help inform adaptations to existing programs and resources to help promote well-being among individuals with CMT disease. CMT is a hereditary peripheral neuropathy affecting roughly one in 2,500 people worldwide (Charcot–Marie–Tooth Association, 2021). CMT affects the peripheral nervous system and leads to progressive muscle weakness, decreased balance, fatigue, pain, and gradual loss of physical functioning (Taniguchi et al., 2013). Past research on well-being in people with CMT is very limited; however, studies suggest that people with CMT may have worse mental health and well-being than those without CMT. Multiple studies have found that individuals with CMT experience decreased quality of life in physical, psychological, and social domains compared to the general population (Burns et al., 2010; Taniguchi et al., 2013; Vinci et al., 2005). In addition, those with CMT may have a higher risk for developing depressive symptoms than those without CMT, although studies have shown mixed results (Cordeiro et al., 2014). Researchers believe that these adverse effects on mental health and well-being are secondary to CMT and are not caused by the biological mechanisms of the disorder itself (Shy & Rose, 2005). Instead, decreases in well-being likely stem from psychological, social, and physical factors or difficulties that arise because of CMT symptoms. These could include anxiety surrounding the progressive nature of the disorder, social stigmatization, or experiences of disability discrimination. While past work has evaluated well-being in adults with CMT, we are unaware of any studies that have examined the relationship between specific psychosocial factors and well-being in this population. The current study will address this by investigating the associations between psychosocial factors and sense of purpose as well as the moderating role of sense of purpose on associations between psychosocial factors and two other measures of well-being (life satisfaction and health-related quality of life). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Past research has suggested that the path to purpose involves connections with people along the way. In support, sense of purpose appears higher amongst those adults with more positive social relationships and interactions. However, research has yet to consider whether associations between sense of purpose and social relationship variables differ across adulthood. The present study examined this claim using a sample of Swiss adults, who completed measures for sense of purpose, loneliness, received support, and provided support. A large, nationally representative sample of 2,312 Swiss adults (52.34 years old; SD = 17.35) completed these measures, as part of a larger survey. Local structural equation modeling was employed to estimate the means and associations of these constructs across adulthood. Sense of purpose was negatively associated with loneliness, but positively associated overall with both support variables. No evidence was found for age moderation for the association between sense of purpose and loneliness. However, moderation was evidenced insofar that sense of purpose was less associated with both support variables with age. Sense of purpose again appears related to more positive social well-being and relationships, and consistently linked to lower loneliness. The age moderation effects for purpose-support associations are discussed with respect to theories of adult development. Public Significance Statement: The present study helps advance our understanding of how closely social support and loneliness are tied to feeling purposeful and goal-directed across the adult years. Given the importance of sense of purpose for healthy aging, this work provides further insight into when social roles and interactions are more central to a sense of direction in life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study examined associations between two future time perspective (FTP) dimensions (perceived opportunities and perceived time) and the Big Five personality traits during older adulthood, a developmental period that has received limited attention in personality development. Specifically, it tested whether FTP dimensions were cross-sectionally associated with personality traits, as well as if they predicted changes on those traits during a time when participants were transitioning to retirement. Participants from the Health, Ageing and Retirement Transitions in Sweden (HEARTS) study (N = 5,913, Mage = 63.09 years) reported on their FTP at the initial assessment and on their Big Five personality traits on six assessments 1 year apart. Latent growth curve models were fit to examine FTP as a predictor of level and change in the Big Five traits over time, with perceived time and opportunities included as unique predictors. Results found that broader FTP was associated with higher extraversion, agreeableness, openness to experience, and conscientiousness, but lower neuroticism initially. However, results indicated associations were stronger and sometimes only significant for perceived opportunities not time. Regarding FTP as a predictor of personality trait change, modest evidence was found that perceived opportunities predicted changes in neuroticism and openness over time. The present study extends past work by showing the importance of capturing different components of FTP when examining personality traits during older adulthood. Research needs to further explore the longitudinal predictive effects of FTP, focusing on more proximal assessments and how FTP changes during retirement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In accordance with recent calls for greater transparency and open science, the current special issue attends to the need for work addressing what this looks like within the field of aging and adult development. The papers in this special issue all provide valuable insights into multiple aspects of producing open and transparent research within the psychology of aging. This introduction provides an overview of the papers, as well as addresses the need for this special issue to specifically address issues within this field. We hope these works provide food for thought, and that they spark further discussion on what researchers can do to provide more transparent and open practices in their work. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The degree to which individuals engage in leisure activities has been shown to predict well-being in older adults, but it is not known whether such activities may help older adults maintain purposefulness into retirement. The current study sought to address whether activity engagement is associated with purpose in life and whether this association differs based on retirement status. We used data from three waves of the Health and Retirement Study between 2008 and 2016. Multilevel growth models accounted for both within- and between-person effects of leisure activity participation and retirement status on change in sense of purpose in life. Participants reported higher sense of purpose on occasions when they engaged more in leisure activities, and more active participants exhibited less decline in purpose over time. Retired individuals showed steeper declines in sense of purpose, but this effect was mitigated among participants reporting greater activity engagement. Leisure activity participation may help to support sense of purpose in life, particularly among retired individuals. These findings underscore the potential for leisure activity interventions to help older adults compensate for loss of work-related roles and maintain purposefulness into retirement. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cognitive complaints and engagement in cognitive activities are two consistent predictors of cognitive aging outcomes, including risk for nonnormative decline. Though research has considered predictors of complaints and engagement in general, little work has attended to the fact that these fluctuate at the daily level. The current study examined individual difference predictors of means and variability for engagement and complaints across 10 days in a sample of older adults (n = 136; Mage = 70.45 years). When comparing personality traits to indicators of cognitive performance, personality differences appeared better unique predictors for these measures of daily cognitive life. Specifically, even when accounting for demographics, measures of cognitive performance, and the other personality traits investigated, older adults higher on openness to experience reported fewer daily cognitive complaints and more engagement on average, as well as greater daily variability in engagement. In addition, higher neuroticism predicted greater variability in reports of cognitive complaints across days. Implications are discussed with respect to how these findings advance our understanding of cognitive complaints and engagement in daily life. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developmental perspectives on self and identity view a sense of personal sameness and continuity as critical for positive adjustment. Thus, the degree to which individuals perceive change over time in self and direction constitutes an important individual difference. Here, we offer an empirically sound instrument for assessing the extent to which people feel temporally discrepant and off course—a sense we term derailment. First, we develop and empirically validate a self-report measure that is sensitive to our conceptualization of derailment (Studies 1–3). Employing the new measure with adult samples, Study 3 demonstrates its predictive ability above and beyond other widely used measures of subjective change and identity distress. Study 4 shows the negative effects of derailment persist independent of whether individuals perceive changing for the better or worse, or actually experience status-changing life events. Study 5 demonstrates the prospective utility of this measure by predicting depressive symptoms 18 months later. Finally, levels of derailment are shown to be reduced by a daily writing experiment that emphasizes goal continuity (Study 6). The discussion situates derailment at the intersection of developmental, clinical, and social psychological literatures as a unique and measurable source of psychological vulnerability, and strategies for attenuating its potentially deleterious impact are suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Personality traits are powerful predictors of outcomes in the domains of education, work, relationships, health, and well-being. The recognized importance of personality traits has raised questions about their policy relevance, that is, their potential to inform policy actions designed to improve human welfare. Traditionally, the use of personality traits in applied settings has been predicated on their ability to predict valued outcomes, typically under the assumption that traits are functionally unchanging. This assumption, however, is both untrue and a limiting factor on using personality traits more widely in applied settings. In this article, we present the case that traits can serve both as relatively stable predictors of success and actionable targets for policy changes and interventions. Though trait change will likely prove a more difficult target than typical targets in applied interventions, it also may be a more fruitful one given the variety of life domains affected by personality traits. This article presents the case that personality traits can serve both as predictors of success and actionable targets for policy changes and interventions. The field of personality psychology has now amassed evidence necessary to address the policy relevance of personality traits. To that end, we pose and answer critical questions regarding personality traits and their applicability for policy initiatives in applied settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pietromonaco and Overall (2020) made an important contribution to the relationship literature when adapting Karney and Bradbury (1995) vulnerability-stress-adaptation model to include the COVID-19 pandemic. While the authors discussed ways in which enduring individual vulnerabilities may play a role in harming romantic relationships during the pandemic, only considering individual differences that may have negative implications for relationship functioning could lead to a limited perspective. The current comment discusses how conscientiousness and agreeableness may promote better relationship functioning during the COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research has demonstrated the importance of having a purpose in older adulthood; however, little is known about whether and how individuals vary on sense of purpose over time. The current study examined patterns of mean- and individual-level change in purpose among men in the Veterans Affairs Normative Aging Study (n = 587, Mage = 74 years) across a 3-year span. Findings demonstrate that while little mean-level change was present, there was interindividual variability in change. Further research is needed to understand why these changes occur, as age, health status, and personality failed to predict individual fluctuations in purpose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smith (2016) provided a valuable review on healthy cognitive aging, addressing potential risk factors for dementia, as well as multiple mechanisms for preventing dementia. However, missing in this discussion was an acknowledgment of the potential that personality may play in shaping trajectories of cognitive aging. The current response provides a brief review of the ever accruing evidence that our dispositional traits and self-efficacy beliefs can predict trajectories of cognitive aging, as well as the mechanisms that produce these trajectories, including participants' likelihood to adhere to intervention efforts to reduce cognitive decline. We conclude by presenting recommendations for how cognitive aging researchers and practitioners can integrate personality science into their work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study investigated whether an intervention aimed to increase cognitive ability in older adults also changes the personality trait of openness to experience. Older adults completed a 16-week program in inductive reasoning training supplemented by weekly crossword and Sudoku puzzles. Changes in openness to experience were modeled across four assessments over 30 weeks using latent growth curve models. Results indicate that participants in the intervention condition increased in the trait of openness compared with a waitlist control group. The study is one of the first to demonstrate that personality traits can change through nonpsychopharmocological interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Conscientious individuals experience better physical health, in part because of their greater propensity to behave in ways that maintain wellness. In the current study we examined whether and how adherence mediates the relation between conscientiousness and physical health. Moreover, we examined whether these effects differed for adhering to doctor's orders (doctor adherence) versus adhering to medication regimens (medication adherence), as the latter is likely more relevant for older adults' health. Method: A nationwide sample of adults (N = 2,136, Mage = 51 years) completed personality and adherence measures, in addition to a self-report measure of perceived general health, in an online survey. Correlational analyses were performed to examine the basic relations between the constructs of interest. A bootstrapping approach was employed for examining whether the indirect effect through adherence was conditional on age. Results: Doctor adherence partially mediated the relation between conscientiousness and perceived health across adulthood. However, the indirect effect of medication adherence was conditional on age, insofar that medication adherence mediated the link between conscientiousness and perceived health only for older adults in the sample (i.e., those around age 51 and over). Conclusion: These results suggest that although conscientious individuals report higher levels of both doctor and medication adherence, the role of adherence in explaining the link between conscientiousness and health may differ across adulthood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Conscientious individuals tend to experience a number of health benefits, not the least of which being greater longevity. However, it remains an open question as to why this link with longevity occurs. The current study tested two possible mediators (physical health and cognitive functioning) of the link between conscientiousness and longevity. Method: We tested these mediators using a 10-year longitudinal sample (N = 512), a subset of the long-running Health and Retirement Study of aging adults. Measures included an adjective-rating measure of conscientiousness, self-reported health conditions, and three measures of cognitive functioning (word recall, delayed recall, and vocabulary) included in the 1996 wave of the HRS study. Results: Our results found that conscientiousness significantly predicted greater longevity, even in a model including the two proposed mediator variables, gender, age, and years of education. Moreover, cognitive functioning appears to partially mediate this relationship. Conclusions: This study replicates previous research showing that conscientious individuals tend to lead longer lives, and provides further insight into why this effect occurs. In addition, it underscores the importance of measurement considerations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Having a sense of purpose has been discussed as a developmental asset for youth and as an outgrowth of establishing a sense of identity. Using the identity capital model as a theoretical framework, 3 studies examined purpose as a mediator in the relationship between identity and well-being among adolescents and emerging adults. In Study 1A. (« = 110). purpose commitment was positively associated with positive affect, hope, happiness among adolescents, and fully mediated associations between identity commitment and these indices of well-being. These findings were replicated in Study IB (n = 398), with a sample of emerging adults and using different measures of well-being. In Study 2, multilevel random coefficient modeling analyses examined the role of identity and purpose in the daily lives of adolescents (n = 135). Results showed that purpose commitment fully mediated the relationship between identity and changes in daily positive and negative affect. Overall, findings suggest that cultivating a sense of purpose in life may be an important mechanism through which a stable identity contributes to well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

McCrae (2020) argues that it is premature to explore interventions focused on personality change. In his commentary, he suggests that interventions should be promoted only if their effects in self-report data are confirmed by the additional opinion of informants. We agree with the essence of his position and would go further by envisioning a new framework for rigorous collaborative research on personality change (Bleidorn et al., 2020). We nevertheless maintain that policymakers would benefit from considering the additional opinion of personality scientists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Lang and Fowers' (2019) article, they provide multiple arguments for why dementia caregiving persists despite the seemingly great evolutionary risk. Adding to their list of considerations, the current commentary provides another potential explanation, namely, that individuals may enact dementia caregiving because it provides engagement toward purposeful aims. Having a sense of purpose predicts multiple evolutionary benefits, including greater longevity, and we discuss here 2 routes by which dementia caregiving may fulfill the role of purposeful engagement. First, it provides a mechanism for suiting some individuals' broader goals of helping others in need. Second, it may allow individuals an opportunity for reflection upon what constitutes personally meaningful pursuits. The commentary ends with a consideration of why adding purpose to the discussion of dementia caregiving can assist researchers and practice professionals interested in helping promote caregiver well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Millions of individuals are currently incarcerated in the United States. However, little is known about the effects of incarceration on personality development, particularly during the critical life stage of adolescence. In a large longitudinal sample, adolescents and young adults (N = 7,736) regularly completed personality measures and assessments of court-ordered punishments over more than 10 years. Using propensity score weighting and multilevel growth curve modeling, we found that personality prospectively predicted the likelihood of incarceration and court-ordered community service. Specifically, individuals who were higher in sensation seeking, impulsivity, and depressive symptoms were more likely to be incarcerated—results for community service youth mostly mirrored these findings. Mixed evidence was found for patterns of trait change. Incarcerated, community service, and nonoffending youth were similar in several ways—all increased on sensation seeking and self-esteem and decreased on impulsivity over the 10-year period. However, between-person models found that incarcerated youth evidenced a greater decrease in depressive symptoms and a slower decrease in impulsivity, and youth assigned community service increased more quickly on sensation seeking than their nonoffending peers. Within-person analyses also suggested personality differences; for example, sensation seeking was lower after incarceration while impulsivity was higher compared with before. Overall, this work highlights that personality predicts incarceration and court-ordered community service in youth and that personality changes linked with these experiences do not have a uniformly "corrective" pattern of change, with few effects observed overall and some in seemingly unfavorable directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses meaning and purpose in life. Topics discussed include psychology research, life assessments and pursuing goals. Other topics which includes self worth, values and efficacy are also discussed. Self organization, meaningful pursuits and conceptions regarding meaning and purpose are also mentioned.

Despite the value of sense of purpose during older adulthood, this construct often declines with age. With some older adults reconsidering the relevance of purpose later in life, the measurement of purpose may suffer from variance issues with age. The current study investigated whether sense of purpose functions similarly across ages and evaluated if the predictive power of purpose on mental, physical, cognitive, and financial outcomes changes when accounting for a less age-affected measurement structure. Utilizing data from two nationwide panel studies (Health and Retirement Study: n = 14,481; Midlife in the United States: n = 4,030), the current study conducted local structural equation modeling and found two factors for the positively and negatively valenced purpose items in the Purpose in Life subscale (Ryff, 1989), deemed the purposeful and purposeless factor. These factors become less associated with each other at higher ages. When reproducing past findings with this two-factor structure, the current study found that the purposeful and purposeless factors predicted these outcomes in the same direction as would be suggested by past research, but the magnitude of these effects differed for some outcomes. The discussion focuses on the implications of what this means for our understanding of sense of purpose across the lifespan. Public Significance Statement: Sense of purpose (i.e., the extent to which one feels that one has personally meaningful goals and directions guiding one through life) is a robust predictor of healthy aging. However, the current study highlights that the measurement of this construct may become more complicated as people age, which has implications for predicting certain well-being and cognitive functioning outcomes in the older sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kiecolt-Glaser (2018) provided a valuable review of how negative relationship behaviors can impact immune system functioning. However, by considering how dispositional characteristics may impact the literature linking romantic relationships to immune system changes, one may take a new perspective on her review. This comment provides an overview of how individual differences in attachment may be used to predict immune system functioning, as well as the relationship behaviors that are said to initiate changes to the immune system. We conclude by outlining the ways in which Kiecolt-Glaser's review can be used to advance research examining the links between attachment and health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent decades there has been a dramatic increase in the amount of research focused on purpose in life, demonstrating a host of benefits that emerge for individuals committed to a purpose. As with other constructs in the positive youth development framework, there is a paucity of work investigating how experiences of marginalization impact the development of this psychological asset among adolescents. To catalyze research on this front, we draw attention to potential opportunities and obstacles associated with experiences of marginalization and how they might affect an adolescent developing a purpose in life. Like García Coll and colleagues' (1996) integrative model, our perspective includes sociocultural factors (e.g., social position, adaptive culture), an emphasis on intragroup variability, and discussion of potentially promoting and inhibiting aspects of marginalization. Following a description of existing research on purpose development during adolescence, we discuss how experiences of marginalization could contour the development of self-integrative, strong, and articulated purpose among adolescents. To conclude, specific considerations for future research are outlined, including how existing definitions of and tools for measuring purpose can be adapted to produce a scientific literature that values and includes the normative purpose development of adolescents who experience marginalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Conscientiousness (C) of the self and significant others influences health by way of mediatorial chains involving socioeconomic attainment, the avoidance and neutralization of Stressors, the promotion of health behaviors and the minimization of risk behaviors, and the management of symptoms and diseases. Yet, meta-analyses reveal that these associations are moderated by factors that are not well understood. We propose the Life Course of Personality Model (LCP Model), which comprises a series of hypotheses that suggest how such mediational chains are subject to 2 sources of contingency. First, the mechanisms by which C translates into health and the avoidance of risk change from early childhood to late adulthood, involving processes that are specific to phases of the life course; also, however, C influences health by way of continuous processes extending over many decades of life. Second, C may be more consequential in some social contexts than in others, and when accompanied by some constellations of personality characteristics than by others. That is, the mediational processes by which C translates into health and the avoidance of disease are likely moderated by timing, social context (including the C of others), and other aspects of the individual's personality. We consider methodological implications of the LCP Model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors' aim in the present study was to examine the effects of a brief forgiveness intervention for older adults. The psychoeducational group intervention consists of (a) established core components of previous forgiveness interventions and (b) additional components considering specific needs of older adults. Seventy-eight older adults (mean age 70.1 years) were randomized to a treatment condition or a waiting-list control condition. The intervention reduced the levels of perceived actual transgression painfulness, transgression-related emotions and cognitions, and negative affect. These findings suggest the promise of forgiveness interventions for older adults that help participants clarify and deal with past, present, and future interpersonal transgressions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One way to describe the location of an object is to relate it to another object. Often there are many nearby objects, each of which could serve as a candidate to he the reference object. A common theoretical assumption is that features that make a given object salient relative to the candidate set are instrumental in determining which is selected. The current research tests this assumption, assessing the relative importance of spatial, perceptual, and functional-interactive features. Three experiments demonstrated that spatial features have the strongest influence on reference object selection, with the perceptual feature of color playing no significant role. Functional-interactive features were shown to he spatially dependent, having an influence only when the spatial configuration enabled an interaction between the located object and the reference object. These findings challenge the common perspective that salience in and of itself dictates reference object selection and argue for a reliance on spatial features. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The inclusion of psychosocial variables into electronic health records provides a unique opportunity for the translation of findings from social, psychological, and behavioral domains into patient care. This commentary is a response to the recommendations of a committee convened by the Institute of Medicine to address this opportunity (Matthews, Adler, Forrest, & Stead, 2016). We concur with the committee that the inclusion of psychosocial variables in electronic health records will broadly benefit researchers, practitioners, and patients and that there is clear need for a recommended panel of psychosocial measures that is ready for implementation in clinical settings. In fact, it seems likely that these recommendations will have lasting consequences. Given this, our response highlights several concerns about the recommendations and criteria. We suggest further clarification of the audience for these recommendations, reconsideration of the overly restrictive inclusion criteria, and more extensive engagement of psychosocial researchers to achieve broader consensus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current meta-analysis investigated the extent to which personality traits changed as a result of intervention, with the primary focus on clinical interventions. We identified 207 studies that had tracked changes in measures of personality traits during interventions, including true experiments and prepost change designs. Interventions were associated with marked changes in personality trait measures over an average time of 24 weeks (e.g., d = .37). Additional analyses showed that the increases replicated across experimental and nonexperimental designs, for nonclinical interventions, and persisted in longitudinal follow-ups of samples beyond the course of intervention. Emotional stability was the primary trait domain showing changes as a result of therapy, followed by extraversion. The type of therapy employed was not strongly associated with the amount of change in personality traits. Patients presenting with anxiety disorders changed the most, and patients being treated for substance use changed the least. The relevance of the results for theory and social policy are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While a training model of cognitive intervention targets the improvement of particular skills through instruction and practice, an engagement model is based on the idea that being embedded in an intellectually and socially complex environment can impact cognition, perhaps even broadly, without explicit instruction. We contrasted these 2 models of cognitive enrichment by randomly assigning healthy older adults to a home-based inductive reasoning training program, a team-based competitive program in creative problem solving, or a wait-list control. As predicted, those in the training condition showed selective improvement in inductive reasoning. Those in the engagement condition, on the other hand, showed selective improvement in divergent thinking, a key ability exercised in creative problem solving. On average, then, both groups appeared to show ability-specific effects. However, moderators of change differed somewhat for those in the engagement and training interventions. Generally, those who started either intervention with a more positive cognitive profile showed more cognitive growth, suggesting that cognitive resources enabled individuals to take advantage of environmental enrichment. Only in the engagement condition did initial levels of openness and social network size moderate intervention effects on cognition, suggesting that comfort with novelty and an ability to manage social resources may be additional factors contributing to the capacity to take advantage of the environmental complexity associated with engagement. Collectively, these findings suggest that training and engagement models may offer alternative routes to cognitive resilience in late life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conscientiousness is a personality construct that is a core determinant of health, positive aging, and human capital. A large body of work has contributed to our understanding of this important aspect of personality, but there are multiple conceptual and methodological issues that complicate our understanding of conscientiousness. Toward this end, we review (a) the conceptual standing of conscientiousness as a personality trait, (b) past research focusing on the underlying dimensions of conscientiousness, (c) the nomological network in which conscientiousness is embedded, and (d) the diverse methods that have been used to assess dimensions of conscientiousness. We conclude with recommendations for improving our understanding of the construct of conscientiousness, methods of assessment, and etiological underpinnings of conscientiousness. We believe this article can serve an important role in the larger goal of better understanding conscientiousness and its core role in the health of our society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current longitudinal study examined the predictive associations between the development of future perceptions in adolescence and depressive symptoms in adolescence and early and middle adulthood. Participants ( N = 1,527; 48.3% female; broadly representative of Western Germany with respect to race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status) were measured yearly in adolescence at the age of 12 to 16 years and then in adulthood at the age of 35 and 45. Future perceptions were assessed during adolescence, whereas depressive symptoms were assessed at the age of 16, 35, and 45. Three important results stand out. First, the measure of future perceptions functioned equivalently across adolescence. Second, the development of future perceptions during adolescence varied across individuals, though mean-level stability was evidenced in the sample. Third, individual differences in the level and change of future perceptions during adolescence predicted depressive symptoms in adolescence and adulthood. These findings demonstrate that one's perception of the future not only has short-term affective consequences but may have long-term effects on depressive symptoms beyond adolescence. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Cohort-comparison studies suggest that adolescent religiosity has been declining over recent decades; however, work is needed on individual differences in patterns of change in religiosity throughout adolescence. The current study seeks to evaluate religiosity trends for adolescents as they transition from 6 th to 12 th grade, using seven annual waves of data, and whether these patterns of change were associated with later sense of purpose. Participants ( n = 824; 50.7% female; 85.1% Caucasian) completed annual measures of religiosity from 6 th to 12 th grade, and a measure of sense of purpose at age 21 as part of the Oregon Youth Substance Use Project. Findings from latent growth models suggest both a mean-level decline in religiosity as well as individual differences in patterns of change across time. Furthermore, the intercept and change in religiosity throughout adolescence positively predicted sense of purpose at age 21. Results are discussed with respect to how individual differences occur in religiosity, and what that means for purpose development throughout adolescence.

Sense of purpose has proven a consistent predictor of positive outcomes during adulthood. However, it remains unclear how purposeful adults respond to positive events in their daily lives. The current study examined whether sense of purpose predicted the frequency of daily positive events, as well as participants' affect on days with a positive event, across 8 days in an adult sample ( n = 1959; mean age: 56 years). Sense of purpose predicted a greater frequency of daily positive events. Moreover, sense of purpose moderated the associations between daily positive events and daily positive affect; purposeful adults experienced less of an increase in positive affect both on the current day and the day following the positive event. Findings are discussed with respect to how purpose in life may serve homeostatic functions, insofar that having a life direction reduces responsivity to daily events and promote affect stability. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).