College of Health

Research shows midlife adults consistently report higher purpose in life (PIL) than older adults. However, less is known about the changes in PIL during the transition from midlife to older adulthood. This study examined 5-year changes of PIL among late-midlife adults in the Foley Longitudinal Study of Adulthood (n = 163, MAge = 56.37). Results showed that most midlife adults reported higher-stable PIL whereas some of them showed lower-stable PIL, with trait conscientiousness and race being significant predictors of PIL. Future studies should investigate when PIL tends to stabilize and how personality and racial experiences influence the development of PIL.