Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42015840›Full record

ArticleThe journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences2026

Do all components of psychological well-being predict cognitive function?

Karysa J Britton, Gabrielle N Pfund, Emily C Willroth

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Karysa J BrittonDepartment of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, United States.ORCID 0009-0005-2393-3481
Gabrielle N PfundDepartment of Human Development and Family Science, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, United States.ORCID 0000-0003-2928-752X
Emily C WillrothDepartment of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, United States.ORCID 0000-0002-4780-6883

Funding

U19 MIDlife in the United States-Diversity Supplement-WellsU19AG051426 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON · PI CAROL D. RYFF · 2016 to 2026
$74.8M
STATISTICS COREP01AG020166 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON · PI RYFF, CAROL D. · 2002 to 2015
$50.6M
Research Education ComponentP30AG066444 · NIA · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · PI Susan Lynn Stark · 2020 to 2026
$28.7M
AGING AND DEVELOPMENTT32AG000030 · NIA · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · PI DENISE HEAD, Jeffrey M Zacks · 1985 to 2026
$9.7M
Well-being as a Protective Factor against Cognitive Decline and Dementia RiskR00AG071838 · NIA · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · PI WILLROTH, EMILY C · 2022 to 2024
$853k
NIA NIH HHS AG000030-47NIA NIH HHS P01 AG020166NIA NIH HHS P30 AG066444NIA NIH HHS R00 AG071838NIA NIH HHS R00AG071838NIA NIH HHS T32 AG000030NIA NIH HHS U19 AG051426Research Education Component of P30AG066444
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesSense of purpose, a component of psychological well-being, has been consistently associated with higher cognitive function and less cognitive decline. However, less is known about associations between the other 5 components of psychological well-being and cognitive outcomes. To address this gap, the current research examined which components of psychological well-being are most strongly associated with cognitive function.

methodsA total of 3,742 participants from the Midlife in the United States study were included in analyses (MAge = 56.04, SD = 12.26). Participants completed the Ryff Psychological Well-being Scales (1989) and the Brief Test of Adult Cognition. Multiple regression analyses were used to examine cross-sectional and prospective associations between psychological well-being components and cognitive function.

resultsAll 6 components of psychological well-being were significantly and positively associated with cognition cross-sectionally (βs = 0.07-0.19), with personal growth and sense of purpose being most strongly associated with cognitive function. Moreover, higher levels of sense of purpose, personal growth, environmental mastery, and self-acceptance were associated with better cognitive function at the 9-year follow-up when controlling for baseline cognitive function (β  =  0.03-0.05). No significant differences in the strength of associations across psychological well-being components emerged prospectively. DISCUSSION: These findings extend past research by demonstrating that, in addition to a sense of purpose, other components of psychological well-being, especially personal growth, are also associated with cognitive function. These well-being components should be assessed as possible protective factors for cognitive function across the lifespan.

Indexed as

CognitionPsychological Well-BeingAgedCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedProspective StudiesPsychological GrowthUnited StatesCognitionLifespan samplePersonal growthPurpose

Identifiers

PMID42015840
PMCPMC13189666

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.