When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves - Viktor Frankl
The many obvious determinants of chronic disease as we age include a history of poor diet and inactivity, smoking, drug and alcohol use but also a less recognised contributor is having a lack of meaning in life. This was examined by the famous Austrian psychiatrist Viktor Frankl (1905-1997), founder of the so-called ‘Third Viennese School of Psychotherapy’, who pioneered a psychotherapeutic approach to treating depression that he called logotherapy (from the Greek ‘logos’ or meaning).
In his seminal 1959 book Man’s Search for Meaning Frankl, a WW2 holocaust survivor, wrote of how the survival of fellow Jewish prisoners related to the extent individuals had meaning or purpose in their lives. This could be, but was not necessarily, associated with spiritual or religious beliefs. It could also spring from attachments to family, friends, culture, occupation or interests.
A growing body of literature now supports Frankl’s view of associating meaning with health. The ability to derive meaning or purpose in life is associated with better physical health, reduced risk of suicide, stroke, and myocardial infarction, as well as reduced overall mortality and psychological wellbeing when faced with chronic pain.
Further work has linked purpose to physiological changes, including reduced inflammatory markers. (References below.)
For older people who have retired, lost close contact with family members who may have moved away for work, maybe widowed or in some way isolated from previous lives, it is so easy to become depressed. Finding meaning in life can be crucial to maintaining health and wellbeing for all age groups. Many find meaning by volunteering or helping a needy person.
Our feature story in this edition of GPSpeak tells of an elderly local resident, Wal Bailey, who has found a strong sense of purpose in his life by photographing the amazing wildlife along a local nature reserve, and sharing those photos with the community.
One must be inspired by his work and his ability to lift the spirit of passers-by and anyone viewing. His superb images, which are truly eye opening reminders of the environment around us, add another dimension and appreciation of nature along this beautiful walking track.
A growing body of literature now supports Frankl’s view associating meaning with health (Roepke, Jayawickreme & Riffle, 2014). The ability to derive meaning or purpose in life is associated with better physical health, reduced risk of suicide (Kleiman & Beaver 2013), stroke (Kim, Sun et al., 2013) and myocardial infarction (Kim et al., 2012), as well as reduced overall mortality (Hill & Turiano, 2014) and psychological well-being when faced with chronic pain (Dezutter, Luyckx & Washholtz 2015). Stigma and purpose in life are associated with depression, which can act as a mediator for other health problems (David et al., 2010). Further work has linked purpose to physiological changes (Kin, Strecker and Ryff, 2014), including reduced inflammatory markers (Morozink et al., 2010). Associations of metaflammation with quality of life (Nowakowski, 2014) and other biomarkers (Shankar et al., 2011) also suggests this would be the case.
Roepke AM, Jayawickreme E, Riffle OM., Meaning and Health: A Systematic Review. Appl Res Qual Life 2014; 9(4):1055-79
Kleiman EM, Beaver JK. A meaningful life is worth living: meaning in life as a suicide resiliency factor. Psychiatr Res 2013;210(3):934-9.
Kim ES, Sun JS, Park N, Peterson C. Purpose in life and reduced incidence of stroke in older adults: 'The Health and Retirement Study'. J Psychosom Res 2013;74(5):427-32.
Kim ES, Sun JS, Park N, Peterson C, Kubzansky LD. Purpose in life and reduced risk of myocardial infarction among older U.S. adults with coronary heart disease: a two-year follow-up. J Behav Med 2012; 10.1007/s10865-012-9406-4.
Hill PL, Turiano NA. Purpose in life as a predictor of mortality across adulthood. Psychol Sci 2014;25(7):1482-6.
Dezutter J, Luyckx K, Washholt A. Meaning in life in chronic pain patients over time: associations with pain experience and psychological well-being. J Behav Med 2015;38(2):384-96.
Kim ES, Strecher VJ, Ryff CD. Purpose in life and use of preventive health care services. Proc Nat Acad of Sci of the USA. 2014; 10.1073/pnas.1414826111.
Morozink JA, Friedman EM, Coe CL, Ryff CD. Socioeconomic and psychosocial predictors of interleukin-6 in the MIDUS national sample. Health Psychol 2010;29(6):626–635
Nowakowski A 2014 Chronic inflammation and quality of life in older adults: a cross-sectional study using biomarkers to predict emotional and relational outcomes. Health & Qual Life Outcomes 2014;12:141.
