Purpose in life in late adolescence and incident depression over 10 years

Purpose in life is a psychological resource that is associated with better mental health in adulthood. The present study tests whether purpose in life in late adolescence is protective against developing depression over up to 10 years of follow-up. Participants were from the Transition to Adulthood Supplement of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics. Participants were selected for analysis if they reported on their purpose in life in late adolescence (17-19 years old), did not have depression at this assessment, and participated in at least one follow-up wave (N = 2821). Purpose in life was associated with a reduced risk of incident depression over the follow-up (up to age 28), controlling for sociodemographic factors (HR = .74, 95 % CI = .68, .81, p < .001). Sensitivity analyses indicated that this association was independent of a psychiatric diagnosis history (HR = .78, 95 % CI = .71, .85, p < .001) and held excluding depression that occurred within the first two years of follow-up (HR = .84, 95 % CI = .73, .96, p = .012). Moderation analysis indicated that the association was similar across sex, race, ethnicity, childhood socioeconomic status, and psychiatric diagnosis history. Purpose in life is a modifiable aspect of psychological function that is associated with lower risk of developing depression across the transition to young adulthood.