Daily Goals and Psychological Well-Being in Midlife and Older Women: Physical Pain Interacts With Goal Conflict

Abstract

Pain can limit resources for goal pursuit and increase resource competition between goals. Pursuing goals with high value and low resource conflict should provide benefit, particularly for women who experience physical pain. Women (aged 50–75; N = 200) reported on goals and well-being in daily diaries (n = 1,380). Higher goal value associated with higher well-being. Goal conflict effects depended on physical pain: for women with no pain, more goal conflict associated with lower well-being; for women with pain, the opposite. Women without pain may be taxed by goal conflict, whereas women with pain may regulate goal conflict in response to available resources.