Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

The role of purpose in life in recovery from knee surgery

  • Published:
International Journal of Behavioral Medicine Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This study examined the role of a sense of purpose in life (PIL) in recovery from knee replacement surgery in 64 surgery patients. Each of the surgery patients had been diagnosed with severe osteoarthritis of the knee. Regression analyses were conducted predicting changes in health 6 months after surgery. When considered alone, PIL was related to less anxiety, depression, negative affect, functional disability, stiffness, and more positive affect. When optimism, pessimism, and emotionality were controlled, PIL was still related to less negative affect, depression, and anxiety, and more positive affect. The results suggest that PIL may be an important positive personal characteristic and target for interventions.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Addad, M. (1987). Psychogenic neuroticism and noogenic self-strengthening. International Forum for Logotherapy, 10, 52–59.

    Google Scholar 

  • Andersson, G. (1997). The benefits of optimism: A meta-analytic review of the Life Orientation Test. Personality and Individual Differences, 21, 719–725.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Antonovsky, A. (1987). Unraveling the mystery of health. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Aspinwall, L. G. (1998). Rethinking the role of positive affect in self-regulation. Motivation and Emotion, 22, 1–32.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baum, S. K., & Boxley, R. L. (1983). Depression and old age identification. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 39, 584–590.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Baumeister, R. F. (1991). Meanings of life. New York: Guilford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bellamy, N., Buchanan, W. W., Goldsmith, C. H., Campbell, J., & Stitt, L. (1988). Validation of the WOMAC: A health status instrument for measuring clinically important patient relevant outcomes to antirheumatic drug therapy in patients with osteoarthritis of the hip or knee. Journal of Rheumatology, 15, 1833–1840.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Braithwaite, V. A. (1987). The scale of emotional arousability: Bridging the gap between the neuroticism construct and its measurement. Psychological Medicine, 17, 217–225.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Callahan, C. M., Drake, B. G., Heck, S. A., & Dittus, R. S. (1994). Patient outcomes following tricompartmental total knee replacement: A meta-analysis. JAMA, 271, 1349–1357.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chang, E. C., Maydeu-Olivares, A., & D’ Zurilla, T. J. (1997). Optimism and pessimism as partially independent constructs: Relationship to positive and negative affectivity and psychological well-being. Personality and Individual Differences, 23, 433–440.

    Google Scholar 

  • Frankl, V. E. (1992). Man’s search for meaning (4th ed.). Boston: Beacon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fredrickson, B. L. (1998). What good are positive emotions? Review of General Psychology, 2, 300–319.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hart, K. E., Hittner, J. B., & Paras, K. (1991). Sense of coherence, trait anxiety, and the perceived availability of social support. Journal of Research in Personality, 25, 37–145.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ryff, C. D., & Keyes, C. L. M. (1995). The structure of psychological well-being revisited. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 69, 719–727.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ryff, C. D., & Singer, B. (1998). The role of purpose in life and personal growth in positive human health. In T. P. Wong & P. S. Fry (Eds.), The human quest for meaning: A handbook of psychological research and clinical applications (pp. 213–235). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Scheier, M. F., & Carver, C. S. (2001). Adapting to cancer: The importance of hope and purpose. In A. Baum & B. L. Anderson (Eds.), Psychosocial interventions for cancer, (pp. 213–235). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

    Google Scholar 

  • Scheier, M. F., Carver, C. S., & Bridges, M. W. (1994). Distinguishing optimism from neuroticism (and trait anxiety, self-mastery, and self-esteem): A reevaluation of the Life Orientation Test. Journal of Personality and Social Personality, 67, 1063–1078.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Seligman, M. E. P. (1999). The president’s address. American Psychologist: 1998 APA Annual Report, 559–562.

  • Smith, T. W., Pope, M. K., Rhodewalt, F., & Poulton, J. L. (1989). Optimism, neuroticism, coping, and symptom reports: An alter native interpretation of the Life Orientation Test. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 56, 640–648.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tabachnick, B. G., & Fidell, L. S. (1996). Using multivariate statistics. New York: Harper Collins.

    Google Scholar 

  • Veit, C. T., & Ware, J. E., Jr. (1983). The structure of psychological distress and well-being in general populations. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 51, 730–742.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Watson, D., Clark, L. A., & Tellegen, A. (1988). Development and validation of brief measures of positive and negative affect: The PANAS scales. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 54, 1063–1070.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Watson, D., & Pennebaker, J. W. (1989). Health complaints, stress, and distress: Exploring the central role of negative affectivity. Psychological Review, 96, 234–254,

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wong, T. P., & Fry, P. S. (Eds.). (1998). The human quest for meaning: A handbook of psychological research and clinical applications. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Bruce W. Smith.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Smith, B.W., Zautra, A.J. The role of purpose in life in recovery from knee surgery. Int. J. Behav. Med. 11, 197–202 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327558ijbm1104_2

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327558ijbm1104_2

Key words

Navigation