Objectives: Common age-related health conditions can lead to poor mental health outcomes and deteriorate cognition. Additionally, commonly prescribed medications for various mental/physical health conditions may cause adverse reactions, especially among older adults. Psychedelic therapy has shown positive impacts on cognition and has been successful in treating various mental health problems without long-lasting adversities. The current study examines the association between psychedelic drug usage and cognitive functions in middle-aged and older adults. Methods: Data were from wave 3 (2013-2014) of the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study. We used multiple linear regression models examining associations between psychedelic usage and cognitive functions, controlling for covariates of sociodemographic and health factors. Results: We included 2,503 individuals (Mage = 64 ± 11). After controlling for covariates, the finding revealed that psychedelic usage was independently associated with more favorable changes in executive function (β = .102, SE = 0.047, p = .031) and less depressive symptoms (β = -.090, SE = 0.021, p < .001). The same effect was not found for episodic memory (β = .039, SE = 0.066, p = .553). Discussion: Addressing the mental health implications of physical health conditions in older adults are vital for preventing neurocognitive deterioration, prolonging independence, and improving the quality of life. More longitudinal research is essential utilizing psychedelics as an alternative therapy examining late-life cognitive benefits.

UNASSIGNED: A greater sense of purpose in life is associated with several health benefits relevant for active aging, but the mechanisms remain unclear. We evaluated if purpose in life was associated with indices of brain health.
UNASSIGNED: We examined data from the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) Neuroscience Project. Diffusion weighted magnetic resonance imaging data (n=138; mean age 65.2 years, age range 48-95; 80 females; 37 black, indigenous, and people of color) were used to estimate microstructural indices of brain health such as axonal density, and axonal orientation. The seven-item purpose in life scale was used. Permutation analysis of linear models was used to examine associations between purpose in life scores and the diffusion metrics in white matter and in the bilateral hippocampus, adjusting for age, sex, education, and race.
UNASSIGNED: Greater sense of purpose in life was associated with brain microstructural features consistent with better brain health. Positive associations were found in both white matter and the right hippocampus, where multiple convergent associations were detected. The hippocampus is a brain structure involved in learning and memory that is vulnerable to stress but retains the capacity to grow and adapt through old age. Our findings suggest pathways through which an enhanced sense of purpose in life may contribute to better brain health and promote healthy aging. Since purpose in life is known to decline with age, interventions and policy changes that facilitate a greater sense of purpose may extend and improve the brain health of individuals and thus improve public health.

Objectives: Mid- or early-late-life cognitive function is an indicator for developing late-life dementia. However, it is still unclear whether rural/urban living contexts provide cognitive benefits across adulthood. Further, higher optimism serves as a general protective factor for many health outcomes. The present study examines associations between rurality/urbanicity, optimism, and change in mid/late-life cognitive functions over time. Methods: Data were from waves 1 to 3 (1995-2015) of the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study (N = 2,507). Structural equation models examine whether long-term rural living across both waves (1-2) or intermittent rural living at one wave is associated with better cognitive function over 20 years, compared to no rural living, while controlling for prior cognitive function and covariates (baseline socio-demographics, health, and functional status). Additionally, we assessed if optimism mediates the above associations. Results: After controlling for covariates, long-term rural living (waves 1-2) was indirectly (through less optimism) associated with significantly lower levels of cognitive executive function and episodic memory in wave 3. Conclusions: While long-term rural living and cognitive outcomes have no direct association for MIDUS middle-aged and older adults, mediating roles of optimism in these associations were evident. Future investigations could examine mechanisms that underlie these risk/protective factors on late-life cognition.

Background: Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the United States. It is critical to understand the associations among multilevel determinants of cancer prevention and control behaviors. This study examined associations of neighborhood factors with perceived risk of cancer and self-efficacy for reducing cancer risk. Methods: Cross-sectional analyses included 2324 U.S. adults from the Midlife in the U.S. Wave 3. Participants completed surveys of neighborhood environment (perceived neighborhood trust and safety, built environment conditions, social integration), perceived cancer risk and cancer prevention efficacy. Multivariate linear regressions examined associations of neighborhood context with risk perceptions and self-efficacy. Results: In the model that adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics, better perceived neighborhood trust and safety were associated with lower perceived cancer risk. In fully adjusted models for sociodemographic characteristics and contextual factors, higher perceptions of neighborhood trust and safety were associated with higher cancer prevention self-efficacy. Perceptions of better built neighborhood conditions and higher social integration were significantly associated with lower perceived cancer risk and higher perceived cancer prevention efficacy. Conclusions: Perceptions of neighborhood context may play a role in shaping psychosocial factors such as perceived cancer risk and self-efficacy, even after controlling for robust predictors of these perceptions.

Cognitive function is a vital component of healthy aging. However, whether a persistently high optimism benefits late-life cognitive function is debatable. The current study examined associations between high optimism status, perceived generativity, and cognitive functions across adulthood. Data were from waves 2 and 3 (2004-14) of the Midlife in the United States study. We used structural equation modeling to examine whether participants\' (N = 2,205; Mage = 65 ± 11) persistent high optimism predicts better cognitive functions over time, compared to high optimism at only one time-point or not at all while controlling for covariates; we also examined whether individuals\' perceived generativity mediates the above association. The findings revealed that persistent high optimism was significantly associated with better episodic memory and executive function. Further, perceived generativity positively mediated the association between persistent high optimism and episodic memory. Future research should examine mechanisms for potential aspects of high optimism and perceived generativity on late-life cognitive performances.

BACKGROUND: Cognitive function is an important component of healthy ageing. However, it is unclear whether relaxation/meditation practices provide cognitive benefits, particularly in midlife and early late life. Meditative practices are associated with higher self-esteem, and self-esteem serves as a general protective factor for many health outcomes. The current study examines associations between meditation practice, self-esteem, and change over 10 years in midlife cognitive performance.
METHODS: Data were from waves 2 (2003-2004) and 3 (2013-2014) of the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study. We used structural equation modelling to examine whether persistent meditation practice at both waves or episodic practice at one wave is associated with better cognitive function over 10 years, compared to no meditation practice, while controlling for prior cognitive function and covariates (baseline socio-demographics, health, and functional status). Additionally, we assessed if self-esteem mediates the above associations.
RESULTS: We included 2168 individuals (Mage  = 65 ± 11). After controlling for covariates, the findings revealed that persistent meditation practice in both waves was associated with significantly less decline in episodic memory; however, no such effects were found for executive function. Further, although participants\' higher self-esteem was significantly associated with less decline in executive function and episodic memory, it did not mediate the associations between meditation practice and cognitive functions.
CONCLUSIONS: While both persistent meditation practice and self-esteem have associations with cognitive outcomes for middle-aged and older adults in MIDUS, self-esteem as a mediator was not supported. Thus, future investigations should examine mechanisms that underlie these protective factors on cognitive performances across adulthood.

OBJECTIVE: This study examines the relationship between trait gratitude and acute myocardial infarction. A burgeoning body of literature suggests that gratitude can play a role in regulating individual\'s cardiovascular responses to stress which in turn, may reduce the incidence of cardiovascular disease such as acute myocardial infarction. However, to date no research has examined these effects.
METHODS: This study used the Mid-Life in the United States dataset (MIDUS; N = 1031) to assess these relationships. Participants completed a standardised cardiovascular stress-testing laboratory protocol and were assessed at a second time-point; on average 6.7 years later.
RESULTS: Results from logistic parallel mediation models suggest that trait gratitude was found to be significantly associated with reduced risk of acute myocardial infarction through the mechanism of increased heart rate reactivity, β = -0.098, 95%CI [- 0.331, - 0.010]. However, neither systolic nor diastolic blood pressure reactivity mediated this relationship.
CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that gratitude may be associated with certain aspects of physical health. Specifically, our study reveals a potential link between gratitude and cardiovascular reactivity, which could be a mechanism through which trait gratitude contributes to reductions in the risk of myocardial infarction. As such, this study highlights the potential utility of positive psychological factors, such as gratitude, in promoting cardiovascular health.

Objectives: Informal caregiving has been associated with higher stress and lower levels of subjective well-being. Mind-body practices including yoga, tai chi, and Pilates also incorporate stress reducing activities. The current study aimed to examine the association between mind-body practice and subjective well-being among informal family caregivers. Methods: A sample of informal caregivers were identified in the Midlife in the United States study (N = 506, M ± SDage = 56 ± 11, 67% women). We coded mind-body practice into three categories, including regular practice (participating in one or more of them \"a lot\" or \"often\"), irregular (participating \"sometimes\" and \"rarely\") and no practice (\"never\"). Subjective well-being was measured using the 5-item global life satisfaction scale and the 9-item mindfulness scale. We used multiple linear regression models to examine associations between mind-body practice and caregivers\' subjective well-being, controlling for covariates of sociodemographic factors, health, functional status, and caregiving characteristics. Results: Regular practice was associated with both better mindfulness-related well-being (b = 2.26, p < .05) and better life satisfaction (b = 0.43, p < .05), after controlling for covariates. Discussion: Future research should examine whether there is a selection effect of caregivers with higher well-being being more likely to choose these activities, and/or if mind-body practices are effective non-pharmacological interventions to improve family caregivers\' quality of life.

OBJECTIVE: One large focus of personality psychology is to understand the biopsychosocial factors responsible for adult personality development and well-being change. However, little is known about how macro-level contextual factors, such as rurality-urbanicity, are related to personality development and well-being change.
METHODS: The present study uses data from two large longitudinal studies of U.S. Americans (MIDUS, HRS) to examine whether there are rural-urban differences in levels and changes in the Big Five personality traits and well-being (i.e., psychological well-being, and life satisfaction) in adulthood.
RESULTS: Multilevel models showed that Americans who lived in more rural areas tended to have lower levels of openness, conscientiousness, and psychological well-being, and higher levels of neuroticism. With the exception of psychological well-being (which replicated across MIDUS and HRS), rural-urban differences in personality traits were only evident in the HRS sample. The effect of neuroticism was fully robust to the inclusion of socio-demographic and social network covariates, but other effects were partially robust (i.e., conscientiousness and openness) or were not robust at all (i.e., psychological well-being). In both samples, there were no rural-urban differences in Big Five or well-being change.
CONCLUSIONS: We discuss the implications of these findings for personality and rural health research.

It has been reported that job demands affect sleep, but how different levels of job demands affect sleep remains unclear. We examined whether curvilinear relationships exist between job demands and multiple sleep health outcomes.
Cross-sectional analyses with linear and quadratic effects, using self-administered survey data.
A national sample of US adults.
Workers from Midlife in the United States Study (MIDUS2; n = 2927).
The Job Content Questionnaire assessed overall and 5 specific aspects of job demands (intensity, role conflict, work overload, time pressure, and interruptions). Habitual sleep health patterns across 5 dimensions (regularity, satisfaction/quality, daytime alertness, efficiency, and duration) were assessed. Age, sex, race/ethnicity, marital/partnered status, education, job tenure, work hours, body mass index, smoking status, and study sample were covariates.
There were significant linear and quadratic relationships between job demands and sleep outcomes. Specifically, the linear effects indicated that participants with higher job demands had worse sleep health, such as shorter duration, greater irregularity, greater inefficiency, and more sleep dissatisfaction. The quadratic effects, however, indicated that sleep regularity and efficiency outcomes were the best when participants\' job demands were moderate rather than too low or too high. These effects were found for overall job demands as well as for specific aspects of job demands. Stratified analyses further revealed that these curvilinear associations were mainly driven by participants with low job control.
Moderate levels of job demands, especially if combined with adequate job control, are related to optimal sleep health.