Multimorbidity and Social Participation Is Moderated by Purpose in Life and Life Satisfaction.

OBJECTIVES: We examined the association between multimorbidity and social participation and whether purpose in life and life satisfaction moderate this relationship.

METHODS: Participants were 12,825 Health and Retirement Study adults. We used multiple linear regression to examine the association between a cumulative-updated multimorbidity-weighted index (MWI) and social participation.

RESULTS: Among adults with average purpose in life or life satisfaction, MWI was associated with lower social participation. For those with above average purpose in life, each 1-point increase in MWI was associated with a 0.11-point (95% confidence interval [CI]: [0.07, 0.14]) better social participation score. Participants with above average life satisfaction experienced a 0.04-point (95% CI: [0.02, 0.07]) better social participation score with each 1-point increase in MWI.

DISCUSSION: Multimorbidity was associated with worse social participation, but this was reversed by above average purpose in life and life satisfaction. Interventions that improve well-being should be assessed to enhance social participation among older adults with any degree of multimorbidity.