Abstract
It is unclear how the onset of a major health condition, such as a stroke, may impact sense of purpose long-term and whether social factors influence this change. We examined changes in purpose in 716 stroke patients (Mage = 72.09 years, 52.5% female) who participated in the Health and Retirement Study between 2006 and 2014. Multilevel growth modeling indicated that recent stroke patients’ sense of purpose declined over time relative to pre-stroke purpose, whereas those suffering stroke prior to baseline demonstrated relative stability. Furthermore, social support was associated with initial levels but not change in sense of purpose.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
