Anger-reduction treatment reduces negative affect reactivity to daily stressors.

Abstract Researchers hypothesize that how people react to daily stressful events partly explains the personality-health relationship, yet no study has examined longitudinal associations between these factors. The current study examined the role of negative affect reactivity to daily stressors as a mediating pathway between personality and physical health outcomes using three waves of data spanning 20-years from a nationwide probability sample of 1,176 adults. Results indicate that Wave 1 neuroticism was associated with greater negative affect reactivity at Wave 2, which then predicted the development of chronic conditions and functional limitations at Wave 3. Higher conscientiousness was associated with less negative affect reactivity, which in turn predicted better physical health at Wave 3. Negative affect reactivity partially mediated both personality traits and physical. These findings highlight the usefulness of using a daily stress framework for understanding how personality impacts health over time, which has important implications for disease prevention.

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Personality Traits Predict Long-Term Physical Health via Affect Reactivity to Daily Stressors

Psychological Science ◽

10.1177/0956797620980738 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 095679762098073

Author(s):

Kate A. Leger ◽

Nicholas A. Turiano ◽

William Bowling ◽

Jessica L. Burris ◽

David M. Almeida

Keyword(s):

Negative Affect ◽

Physical Health ◽

Functional Limitations ◽

Stressful Events ◽

Daily Stressors ◽

Physical Health Outcomes ◽

Affect Reactivity ◽

The Relationship

Researchers hypothesize that how people react to daily stressful events partly explains the relationship between personality and health, yet no study has examined longitudinal associations between these factors. The current study focused on the role of negative affect reactivity to daily stressful events as a mediating pathway between personality and physical health outcomes using three waves of data spanning 20 years from a nationwide probability sample of 1,176 adults. Results indicated that negative affect reactivity partially mediated personality and physical health. Wave 1 neuroticism was associated with greater negative affect reactivity at Wave 2, which predicted the development of chronic conditions and functional limitations at Wave 3. Higher conscientiousness at Wave 1 was associated with less negative affect reactivity at Wave 2, which predicted better physical health at Wave 3. These findings highlight the usefulness of using a daily-stress framework for understanding how personality impacts health over time, which has important implications for stress management and disease prevention.

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Dispositional optimism as a buffer against emotional reactivity to daily stressors: A daily diary approach

10.31234/osf.io/5t3ey ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Nadyanna M. Majeed ◽

Jacinth Jia Xin Tan ◽

William Tov ◽

Andree Hartanto

Keyword(s):

Negative Affect ◽

Emotional Reactivity ◽

Stress Reactivity ◽

Daily Diary ◽

Multilevel Modelling ◽

Dispositional Optimism ◽

Daily Stressors ◽

Daily Diary Study ◽

Affective Experiences ◽

Affect Reactivity

The current research examined if dispositional optimism buffers against the negative influences of daily stressors on affective experiences, using a daily diary study of two large and nationally-drawn samples of American adults (N=2,349). Optimism, exposure to daily stressors, and daily positive and negative affect were assessed over eight days. Multilevel modelling revealed that optimism significantly attenuated the associations between daily stressor exposure and negative affect reactivity even after controlling for demographic factors, subjective physical health, and socioeconomic status. However, in a similar analysis, the inclusion of socioeconomic variables fully accounted for the moderating effect of optimism on stress and positive affect reactivity. The findings suggest distinct processes that are involved in how optimism reduces daily stress reactivity.

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Faculty Opinions recommendation of Fewer ups and downs: daily stressors mediate age differences in negative affect.

Faculty Opinions – Post-Publication Peer Review of the Biomedical Literature ◽

10.3410/f.3667956.3388054 ◽

2010 ◽

Author(s):

Richard P Sloan ◽

Olga Crowley

Keyword(s):

Negative Affect ◽

Age Differences ◽

Daily Stressors

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Negative affect reactivity to stress and internalizing symptoms over the transition to college for Latinx adolescents: Buffering role of family support

Development and Psychopathology ◽

10.1017/s095457942000053x ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-16

Author(s):

Samantha F. Anderson ◽

Michael R. Sladek ◽

Leah D. Doane

Keyword(s):

High School ◽

Negative Affect ◽

Peer Support ◽

Internalizing Symptoms ◽

Minority Group ◽

Negative Consequences ◽

Senior Year ◽

School Senior ◽

Affect Reactivity ◽

Latinx Adolescents

Abstract Affect reactivity to stress may play a role in the development of internalizing symptoms during the college transition, a critical developmental juncture for Latinx adolescents, the largest ethnic minority group on college campuses. This study examined whether affect reactivity during high school is associated with internalizing symptoms in college and explored two potential protective factors, perceived family and peer support. Participants were 209 Latinx adolescents (Mage = 18.10; 64.4% female) who completed standard surveys and four diary assessments per day over 7 days (N > 4,500 momentary observations). First, to measure affect reactivity, we assessed whether perceived stress was associated with negative affect at the momentary level during high school (senior year). Second, we tested whether affect reactivity predicted internalizing symptoms during the first year of college. Third, we tested whether perceived family or peer support buffered the negative consequences of affect reactivity. Results indicated statistically significant within- and between-person associations between stress and negative affect. Moreover, affect reactivity significantly predicted depressive, but not anxiety, symptoms. Buffering was found for family, but not peer, support. Findings extend previous research by detecting associations between momentary affect reactivity and internalizing symptoms during a sociocultural shift in Latinx adolescents’ lives and have implications for culturally appropriate programs to prevent depressive symptoms.

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STRESS-BUFFERING EFFECTS OF VOLUNTEERING ON DAILY WELL-BEING: RESULTS FROM THE NATIONAL STUDY OF DAILY EXPERIENCES

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igz038.876 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. S235-S235

Author(s):

Saehwang Han ◽

Kyungmin Kim ◽

Jeffrey Burr

Keyword(s):

Negative Affect ◽

Multilevel Models ◽

Well Being ◽

National Study ◽

Daily Stressors ◽

Stress Buffering ◽

Daily Experiences ◽

Helping Others ◽

Second Wave ◽

Buffering Effects

Abstract Based on theory and empirical evidence linking volunteering and health, we investigated the associations between daily engagements in formal volunteering, stressors, and negative affective well-being, focusing on the stress-buffering effect of volunteering. Using eight days of daily diary data from the second wave of the National Study of Daily Experiences (participants, N = 1,320; participant-day observations, N = 8,277), we estimated a series of multilevel models to assess the within-person associations between daily volunteering, stressors, and affect. Results indicated there were no direct associations between daily volunteering and negative affect. However, we found the association between daily stressors and negative affect (but not positive affect) was weaker on days when volunteering was performed compared to days volunteering was not performed. Taken together, our findings suggested that short-term health benefits associated with daily volunteering were largely based on the stress-buffering effects of helping others, rather than through a direct effect.

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Family History of Schizophrenia and the Relationship of Stress to Symptoms: Preliminary Findings

Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry ◽

10.1046/j.1440-1614.2001.00876.x ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 35 (2) ◽

pp. 217-223 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Ross M. G. Norman ◽

Ashok K. Malla

Keyword(s):

Family History ◽

Negative Affect ◽

Negative Symptoms ◽

Positive Family History ◽

Positive Symptoms ◽

Daily Stressors ◽

Schizophrenic Patients ◽

History Of ◽

Relationship Of ◽

The Relationship

Objective: It has been hypothesized that patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia who have a positive family history for schizophrenia will show greater reactivity of their symptoms to increasing levels of stress or negative affect than will patients without such a family history. In the past this hypothesis has only been tested through manipulations of negative affect in laboratory settings. In this paper we test this hypothesis using longitudinal clinical data. Method: Data were derived from an earlier longitudinal study using monthly assessments of daily stressors (Hassles Scale) and symptom measures (the Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms and the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms). We compared longitudinal stress to symptom relations in 12 patients with schizophrenia for whom a positive family history of schizophrenia could be identified with 12 matched schizophrenic patients without any known family history of psychiatric illness. Results: There was evidence that patients with a family history of schizophrenia demonstrated a stronger relation between stress and total score on the Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms. This difference appears to have primarily reflected a greater reactivity to stress of reality distortion symptoms in the positive family history group. The two groups did not differ in apparent reactivity to stress of the disorganization and psychomotor poverty dimensions of symptomatology. Conclusions: The results of this study provide support from a naturalistic, longitudinal clinical study for the hypothesis that reactivity to stress of some symptoms of schizophrenia may vary as a function of family history of the disorder.

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An investigation of negative affect, reactivity, and distress tolerance as predictors of disordered eating attitudes across adolescence

Journal of Adolescence ◽

10.1016/j.adolescence.2016.02.005 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 49 ◽

pp. 91-98 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Adrienne S. Juarascio ◽

Julia W. Felton ◽

Allison M. Borges ◽

Stephanie M. Manasse ◽

Helen B. Murray ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Negative Affect ◽

Disordered Eating ◽

Distress Tolerance ◽

Eating Attitudes ◽

Affect Reactivity ◽

Disordered Eating Attitudes

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Positive Affect and Negative Emotional Responses to Daily Stressors

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.2189 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 638-638

Author(s):

Kate Leger ◽

Susan Charles ◽

David Almeida

Keyword(s):

Negative Affect ◽

Positive Affect ◽

Negative Emotion ◽

Emotional Responses ◽

The United States ◽

Stressful Events ◽

National Study ◽

Daily Stressors ◽

Daily Experiences ◽

Average State

Abstract Positive affect is beneficial for regulating negative emotional responses to stressful events. Yet, few studies have examined if positive affect may attenuate negative affect the following day. We examined how both trait positive affect and state positive affect are associated with next day stressor-related negative emotions. Participants (N = 1,588) from the National Study of Daily Experiences II (NSDE II) and the Midlife in the United States survey (MIDUS II) answered questions about stressors and emotion across eight days. People high on trait positive affect reported less negative affect the day following a stressor. On days when people experienced a stressor and higher than average state positive affect, they experienced less negative emotion the following day. This held true regardless of whether people were high or low on trait positive affect. Positive affect can help explain both who and when people will have attenuated emotional responses to stressful events.

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LONGITUDINAL EVIDENCE FOR DISCREPANT CHANGES IN NEGATIVE AFFECT REACTIVITY AND BLOOD PRESSURE REACTIVITY WITH AGE

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igz038.2290 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. S615-S615

Author(s):

Rachel E Koffer ◽

Thomas W Kamarck

Keyword(s):

Blood Pressure ◽

Negative Affect ◽

Healthy Aging ◽

Multilevel Models ◽

Regulatory Processes ◽

Theories Of Aging ◽

Age Related ◽

Reactivity Coefficients ◽

Affect Reactivity ◽

Reactivity Increase

Abstract Both affective and blood pressure (BP) reactivity are associated with long term risk of chronic disease and mortality. Thus, understanding age-related changes in negative affect and BP responses to everyday demands is vital for promoting healthy aging. However, few studies have examined both psychological and BP reactivity simultaneously, which would provide more comprehensive understanding of regulatory processes at play. For the present study, 232 adults aged 50-70 years were assessed at baseline and 6 years later with ambulatory BP monitoring and momentary electronic diaries. Reactivity coefficients were output from multilevel models and used to test changes in negative affective and ambulatory BP reactivity to task demand, longitudinally. Results indicate that both systolic and diastolic BP reactivity increase with age, while negative affect reactivity does not change with age. Results are discussed in the context of life course theories of role strain and role changes and socioemotional theories of aging.

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