6533b82bfe1ef96bd128d8f3

RESEARCH PRODUCT

DO FLEXIBLE AND TENACIOUS GOAL PURSUIT ALLEVIATE THE INFLUENCES OF FUNCTIONAL DECLINE TO ACTIVITY PARTICIPATION?

subject

description

Assimilative and accommodative coping strategies have hardly been studied in relation to activity participation when facing functional decline. We investigated whether tenacious goal pursuit (TGP) and flexible goal adjustment (FGA) influence the association between physical or cognitive performance, and physical activity or participation in other hobbies. Participants were 78-93-year-old community-dwelling people (n=187). TGP and FGA were self-evaluated with distinct scales (ranges 5–25). Physical performance was assessed with Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB; 0–12) and cognitive performance with Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE; 0–30). Physical activity (0–5) and participation in other hobbies (e.g., DIY and cultural activities, 4–28) were self-reported. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted by setting TGP and FGA (independently and jointly) as moderators, and a series of regression models were fitted with TGP and/or FGA as mediators. TGP moderated the relationship between physical performance and participation in hobbies (F(3, 177)=18.41, p< .001, R2=.24). When physical performance was poor, high TGP increased participation in hobbies, whereas low TGP decreased its likelihood. Among people with high physical performance, TGP did not influence participation in hobbies. TGP also partially mediated the relationship between cognitive performance and physical activity: good cognitive performance was connected with higher TGP, which in turn increased physical activity (bootstrapped indirect effect=0.0369, 95% BCa CI=[.0036, .0850]. FGA did not influence the studied associations. Persistency, rather than flexibility, in goal pursuit helps older people to stay more active, possibly leading to health benefits and maintaining good quality of life.