06 Mar Sense of Purpose in Life Reduces Cardiovascular Risk

Posted at 22:38h in AHA Journals, Author Interviews, Heart Disease, Social Issues by

Randy Cohen, MD, MS, FACC Division of Cardiology Mt. Sinai St. Luke's Hospital New York, NYMedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Randy Cohen, MD, MS, FACC
Division of Cardiology
Mt. Sinai St. Luke’s Hospital
New York, NY

MedicalResearch: What is the background for this study?

Dr. Cohen: Psychosocial conditions such as depression, anxiety, chronic stress and social isolation have strong associations with heart disease and mortality. Recently, however, attention has focused on positive emotions, psychological health and their collective impact on overall health and well-being.   Purpose in life is considered a basic psychological need, and has been defined as a sense of meaning and direction in one’s life which gives the feeling that life is worth living. We performed a meta-analysis of prospective studies evaluating the relationship between having a sense of purpose in life, mortality and cardiovascular disease.

MedicalResearch: What are the main findings?

Dr. Cohen: We identified 10 prospective studies involving over 137,000 subjects and found that possessing a sense of purpose in life was associated with a 23% reduced risk for all-cause mortality and a 19% reduced risk for cardiovascular disease events.

MedicalResearch: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report?

  1. Psychological health and well-being are important components of physical health.
  2. Clinicians should not only consider how negative mood states and affective disorders impact biological health, but also query their patients for a sense of meaning and life purpose.

MedicalResearch: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?

Dr. Cohen: Future research should focus on the following:

  1. Develop practical screening tools for clinicians to assess for psychosocial factors (positive and negative) known to be associated with poor health outcomes.
  2. Develop and test practical interventions for individuals identified as having low purpose.

Citation:

presented on March 6 at the American Heart Association’s EPI/Lifestyle 2015 Scientific Sessions in Baltimore.

Sense of purpose may lower risk of death, heart attack, stroke

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Randy Cohen, MD, MS, FACC (2015). Sense of Purpose in Life Reduces Cardiovascular Risk 

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Last Updated on March 6, 2015 by Marie Benz MD FAAD

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