Positive affect measured using ecological momentary assessment and survival in older men and women

The experience of positive events is associated with increased positive affect, which can beneficially impact the physical and mental health outcomes of adolescents. Despite an increase in important life events during adolescence, little research has examined the influence of positive events on affect in this population. This study used Ecological Momentary Assessment to investigate individual differences in the effects of daily positive events on momentary positive and negative affect and event-specific positive affect among 136 adolescents ( M age = 13.03 years). Results indicated that interpersonal and independent events elicited greater event-specific positive affect than non-interpersonal and dependent events. Dependent interpersonal events were associated with the greatest positive affect compared to other combinations of event types. Gender did not moderate these effects. These findings may address the gap in the literature regarding the types of daily positive events that elicit the most positive affect in adolescents, and in turn, may enhance well-being.

Download Full-text

A Coordinated Analysis of Variance in Affect in Daily Life

Assessment ◽

10.1177/1073191118799460 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 27 (8) ◽

pp. 1683-1698 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Stacey B. Scott ◽

Martin J. Sliwinski ◽

Matthew Zawadzki ◽

Robert S. Stawski ◽

Jinhyuk Kim ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Negative Affect ◽

Positive Affect ◽

Ecological Momentary Assessment ◽

Daily Life ◽

Daily Diary ◽

Levels Of Analysis ◽

Total N ◽

Ecological Momentary ◽

Momentary Assessment ◽

Widespread Interest

Despite widespread interest in variance in affect, basic questions remain pertaining to the relative proportions of between-person and within-person variance, the contribution of days and moments, and the reliability of these estimates. We addressed these questions by decomposing negative affect and positive affect variance across three levels (person, day, moment), and calculating reliability using a coordinated analysis of seven daily diary, ecological momentary assessment (EMA), and diary-EMA hybrid studies (across studies age = 18-84 years, total Npersons = 2,103, total Nobservations = 45,065). Across studies, within-person variance was sizeable (negative affect: 45% to 66%, positive affect: 25% to 74%); in EMA more within-person variance was attributable to momentary rather than daily level. Reliability was adequate to high at all levels of analysis (within-person: .73-.91; between-person: .96-1.00) despite different items and designs. We discuss the implications of these results for the design of future intensive studies of affect variance.

Download Full-text

Are fluctuations in personality states more than fluctuations in affect?

10.31219/osf.io/jw3fu ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

Robert Edmund Wilson ◽

Renee J. Thompson ◽

Simine Vazire

Keyword(s):

Positive Affect ◽

Multilevel Modeling ◽

Big Five ◽

Ecological Momentary Assessment ◽

Daily Lives ◽

State Affect ◽

And Behaviors ◽

Ecological Momentary ◽

Momentary Assessment

People fluctuate in their behavior as they go about their daily lives, but little is known about the processes underlying these fluctuations. In two ecological momentary assessment studies (Ns = 124, 415), we examined the extent to which negative and positive affect accounted for the within-person variance in Big Five states. Participants were prompted six times a day over six days (Study 1) or four times a day over two weeks (Study 2) to report their recent thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Multilevel modeling results indicated that negative and positive affect account for most, but not all, of the within-person variance in personality states. Importantly, situation variables predicted variance in some personality states even after accounting for fluctuations in affect, indicating that fluctuations in personality states may be more than fluctuations in state affect.

Download Full-text

Momentary associations between affect and alcohol use in the daily lives of college students

10.31234/osf.io/a7cgu ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Farah Sayed ◽

Amanda Lee McGowan ◽

Mia Jovanova ◽

Danielle Cosme ◽

Yoona Kang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

College Students ◽

Alcohol Use ◽

Negative Affect ◽

Positive Affect ◽

Ecological Momentary Assessment ◽

Social Contexts ◽

Drinking Motives ◽

Daily Lives ◽

Ecological Momentary ◽

Momentary Assessment

Objective: Alcohol is theorized to be motivated by desires to regulate negative affect and/or to enhance positive affect. We tested the association between momentary affect and alcohol use in the daily lives of college students, hypothesizing that alcohol use would be more likely to follow increases in positive affect and that alcohol use would not be strongly associated with negative affect. Method: Using two ecological momentary assessment (EMA) studies consisting of two prompts per day for 28 days, we used multilevel hurdle models to test for lagged associations between positive and negative affect and alcohol use. There were 108 participants (60.19%; mean age = 20.20, SD=1.69) in EMA study 1 and 268 participants (60.03%women, mean age = 20.22, SD=1.96) in EMA study 2. To provide context for the affect-alcohol associations, we collected data on whether participants drank alone or with others at each drinking occasion and the drinking motives of participants using the Drinking Motives Questionnaire. Results: Alcohol use was more likely to occur following increases in positive affect. No significant associations emerged between fluctuations in negative affect and alcohol use. This pattern of findings was observed across both ecological momentary assessment studies. The majority of alcohol use occurred in social contexts. Conclusions: College students who report primarily social and enhancement motives for drinking and who seldom drink alone are more likely to drink following increases in positive affect.

Download Full-text

Social Contact Frequency and Pain among Older Adults with HIV: An Ecological Momentary Assessment Study

Annals of Behavioral Medicine ◽

10.1093/abm/kaab037 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Matthew S Herbert ◽

Jennalee S Wooldridge ◽

Emily W Paolillo ◽

Colin A Depp ◽

Raeanne C Moore

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Negative Affect ◽

Positive Affect ◽

Ecological Momentary Assessment ◽

Social Contact ◽

Contact Frequency ◽

Ecological Momentary ◽

The Impact ◽

The Relationship ◽

Momentary Assessment

Abstract Background Social relationships are important for pain management among individuals with HIV, but the impact of daily social contact on pain responses in real-time, real-world settings has never been specifically examined. Purpose The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between social contact frequency and pain, and the role of negative and positive affect in this relationship among older adults with HIV using ecological momentary assessment (EMA). Methods A total of 66 (Mage = 59.3, SD = 6.3, range: 50–74) older adults with HIV completed EMA surveys that included social contact frequency, pain level, and negative and positive affect four times per day for 2 weeks. Mixed-effects regression models were used to examine concurrent and lagged associations between social contact frequency, pain, and negative and positive affect. Results Greater recent social contact frequency was associated with less severe current pain (unstandardized B = −0.04, 95% CI: −0.08, −0.01, p = .014), while greater current pain was associated with lower subsequent social contact frequency (unstandardized B = −0.07, 95% CI: −0.11, −0.03, p < .001). Further, higher current negative affect was related to greater current pain, and this relationship was dampened by increased recent social contact frequency (unstandardized B = −0.17, 95% CI: −0.26, −0.08, p < .001). Neither negative nor positive affect was significantly associated with the relationship between current pain and subsequent social contact frequency. Conclusions Social contact frequency and pain are bidirectionally and inversely associated among older adults with HIV. Further, recent social contact influences current pain by attenuating negative affect. Together, these results highlight the need to address social engagement in interventions for pain among older adults with HIV.

Download Full-text

Negative affect and emotion dysregulation among people who inject drugs: An ecological momentary assessment study

10.31234/osf.io/ar3nf ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Mary Ellen Mackesy-Amiti ◽

Geri Donenberg

Keyword(s):

Emotion Regulation ◽

Negative Affect ◽

Positive Affect ◽

Ecological Momentary Assessment ◽

Emotion Dysregulation ◽

People Who Inject Drugs ◽

Exchange Program ◽

Opioid Intoxication ◽

Ecological Momentary ◽

Momentary Assessment

This study used ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to measure positive and negative affect among people who inject drugs (PWID), and examined associations with borderline personality disorder (BPD) symptoms and difficulties with emotion regulation, in the context of injection drug use. We recruited PWID, age 18-35, through syringe exchange program sites in Chicago, Illinois, USA. After completing a baseline interview including a screener for BPD and the Difficulties with Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), participants used a mobile phone app to report mood, substance use, and injection behavior for two weeks. Participants who completed at least two EMA assessments were included in the analysis (N = 161). The mean age was 30, about one-third were women, 63% were non-Hispanic white, and 23% were Hispanic. In multivariable mixed effects regression models, positive BPD screen was associated with greater momentary negative affect (NA) intensity, and greater instability of both NA and positive affect (PA). Independent of BPD screening status, DERS score was associated positively with momentary NA intensity and instability, and negatively with positive affect (PA) intensity. This finding suggests that emotion dysregulation is an appropriate target for assessment and intervention. While concurrent withdrawal was associated with both greater NA and less PA, opioid intoxication was associated only with greater PA. We did not find support for our hypothesis that emotion dysregulation would moderate the effect of withdrawal on NA. Findings support the validity of the EMA mood measure and the utility of studying mood and behavior among PWID using EMA on mobile phones.

Download Full-text

Neuroendocrine and cardiovascular correlates of positive affect measured by ecological momentary assessment and by questionnaire

Psychoneuroendocrinology ◽

10.1016/j.psyneuen.2006.10.001 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 32 (1) ◽

pp. 56-64 ◽

Cited By ~ 117

Author(s):

Andrew Steptoe ◽

E. Leigh Gibson ◽

Mark Hamer ◽

Jane Wardle

Keyword(s):

Positive Affect ◽

Ecological Momentary Assessment ◽

Ecological Momentary ◽

Momentary Assessment

Download Full-text

Food Insecurity and Affective Well-Being in Low-Income Adults: An Ecological Momentary Assessment Study Over Two Months

Current Developments in Nutrition ◽

10.1093/cdn/nzab035_073 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (Supplement_2) ◽

pp. 165-165

Author(s):

Muzi Na ◽

Nan Dou ◽

Yujie Liao ◽

Sara Jimenez Rincon ◽

Lori Francis ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Negative Affect ◽

Food Insecurity ◽

Positive Affect ◽

Low Income ◽

Ecological Momentary Assessment ◽

Well Being ◽

Funding Sources ◽

Daily Food ◽

Ecological Momentary ◽

Momentary Assessment

Abstract Objectives Food insecurity is a dynamic phenomenon within a given month and across seasons. It remains unknown how food insecurity influences low-income adults’ day-to-day affective well-being, which is associated with long-term mental and physical health. In this pilot study, we explored the association between daily food insecurity and affect over a 2-month period (spanning 2 seasons) in a sample of low-income adults in Central Pennsylvania. Methods A total of 22 healthy low-income adults were recruited during the fall months (September, October, or November) in 2019, 18 of whom were also followed in the winter months (February or March) in 2020. Using an ecological momentary assessment framework administered on smart phones over a three-week-long wave (2nd – 4th week) in each survey month, daily food insecurity (once daily), and positive and negative affect (5 times daily) were collected. Time Varying Effect Models were used to estimate the association between levels of daily food insecurity and daily aggregated positive/negative affect as a function of study day, adjusting for gender, race/ethnicity, employment, and poverty status. Results A total of 713 person-days (84.9% of what was possible) of daily-level data was collected. Food insecurity was reported in 42.9% and 36.0% of participants in the fall and winter months, respectively. Greater daily food insecurity was associated with significantly lower positive affect scores in the 3rd week of the fall months (β ranged from −1.40 (95% CI −2.62, −0.18) to −3.17 (95% CI: −5.93, −0.42)) and in the 4th week of the winter months (β ranged from −2.24 (95% CI: −4.08, −0.39) to −2.84 (95% CI: −4.28, −1.40)). No consistent association was identified between daily food insecurity and negative affect. Conclusions Daily food insecurity was associated with lower positive affect in the second half of the months in both fall and winter seasons. Future large observational studies should verify our study findings in order to better identify, target, and intervene in food insecure adults who are at-risk of adverse mental health outcomes. Funding Sources The National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health (UL1TR002014) and the Broadhurst Career Development Professorship for the Study of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention.

Download Full-text

Changes in Momentary Experience Were Associated With the Onset of the COVID Pandemic

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igab046.2081 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 545-546

Author(s):

Hio Mak ◽

Arthur Stone

Keyword(s):

Negative Affect ◽

Positive Affect ◽

Social Interactions ◽

Ecological Momentary Assessment ◽

Panel Study ◽

Significant Other ◽

Opposite Pattern ◽

Daily Experience ◽

Ecological Momentary ◽

Momentary Assessment

Abstract We explored the COVID-19 pandemic’s effects on daily experience using momentary recordings of affect, activities, locations, and social interactions, documenting changes in the pandemic’s early stages. 123 individuals 50 years or older from an ongoing panel study completed 1-week bursts of Ecological Momentary Assessment (6/day) in March, May, and July. A pronounced spike in negative affect and decrease in positive affect was observed in late March compared with early March, which in May and June returned to early March levels. Levels of fatigue, however, did not follow this pattern. Being with one’s spouse/significant other and family also increased, then decreased. Working and interacting with others dropped from early to late March and then remained steady; doing chores had the opposite pattern. Regarding location, being at the workplace dropped from early to late March and remained steady, and being at home had the opposite pattern. Additional analyses explored these patterns.

Download Full-text

Adolescents’ sedentary time, affect, and contextual factors: An ecological momentary assessment study

International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity ◽

10.1186/s12966-021-01121-y ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Chelsea L. Kracht ◽

Robbie A. Beyl ◽

Jaclyn P. Maher ◽

Peter T. Katzmarzyk ◽

Amanda E. Staiano

Keyword(s):

Positive Affect ◽

Sedentary Behavior ◽

Ecological Momentary Assessment ◽

Sedentary Time ◽

Contextual Factors ◽

Stage 1 ◽

Ecological Momentary ◽

The Relationship ◽

Momentary Assessment ◽

At Home

Abstract Background Few adolescents achieve sufficient levels of physical activity, and many are spending most of their time in sedentary behavior. Affective response following sedentary time may influence motivation to remain sedentary. Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) is a real-time data capture methodology that can be used to identify factors influencing sedentary time, such as the context of the home setting, and resulting affective state within a free-living setting. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between context at home and adolescent sedentary time, and the relationship of sedentary time and subsequent affect. Methods Adolescents (n = 284; 10–16 y) participated in an EMA study that used random, interval-based sampling methods. Adolescents each received 22 unannounced surveys over 7-days through a smartphone application. One survey was randomly sent within each 2-h time-period. These time-periods occurred between 4:00 pm-8:00 pm on weekdays and 8:00 am-8:00 pm on the weekend. This 15-question survey included a series of questions on context (indoors/outdoors, alone/not alone) and positive affect. Adolescents concurrently wore an accelerometer at the hip, and the 30-min bout of accelerometry data prior to each survey was used in analyses. Mixed-effect location scale models were used to examine the association between context at home and sedentary time (stage 1) and the adjusted sedentary time and positive affect (stage 2), with each model adjusted for covariates. Results Adolescents were 12.6 ± 1.9 y of age on average, about half were White (58%), and engaged in high levels of sedentary behavior during the 30 min prior to the survey (21.4 ± 6.8 min). Most surveys occurred when adolescents were with others (59%) and indoors (88%). In Stage 1, both being alone and being indoors at home were positively associated with sedentary time (p < 0.001 for both). In Stage 2, adjusted sedentary time was not related to positive affect. Age was negatively related to positive affect (p < 0.001). Conclusions Both contextual factors, being alone and indoors at home, were related to additional time spent sedentary compared to being with someone or outdoors. After adjustment, sedentary time was not related to subsequent positive affect, indicating other factors may be related to adolescent’s positive affect in home settings.

Download Full-text