Associations between Affect, Physical Activity, and Anxiety Among US Children During COVID-19

AbstractWe investigated how emotional responses (positive and negative affect), physical activity (PA), and sedentary behaviors related to anxiety among US children during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sixty-four typically-developing children (63% girls) age 9-15 years old completed two virtual visits during height of “stay-at-home” measures between April 22 – July 29, 2020. Children completed 24-hour PA recalls, state portion of State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children (STAIC), and the shortened 10-item Positive and Negative Affect Schedule for Children (PANAS-C). Children reported state anxiety scores that were more than 5 standard deviations greater than values from healthy pediatric populations prior to the pandemic. Children with higher positive affect and who reported more time in PA reported less state anxiety. Sedentary and leisure screen time were positively correlated with negative affect. Our findings suggest that maintaining positive affect, engaging in PA, and limiting leisure screen time may be important for child mental health during stressful periods.Statement of RelevanceThere is increasing concern regarding how the COVID-19 pandemic may impact the psychological and physical health of children. To date, studies on mental health during the pandemic in children are limited. We investigated links between activity levels and psychological outcomes in children during the height of the “stay-at-home” measures. We found that children had anxiety scores that were more than 5 standard deviations greater than normative values from healthy pediatric populations prior to the pandemic, and 94% of children exceeded the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations on leisure screen time. Positive affect and physical activity were associated with reduced anxiety levels in children during the pandemic. These findings highlight the important mental health benefits of maintaining positive affect, engaging in physical activity, and limiting leisure screen time for children, especially during stressful periods.

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SOCIAL SUPPORT AND RELATIONSHIP SATISFACTION AS PREDICTORS OF POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE AFFECT IN INFERTILE WOMAN DURING IVF TREATMENT

Facta Universitatis Series Philosophy Sociology Psychology and History ◽

10.22190/fupsph2102123m ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 123

Author(s):

Milica Mitrović ◽

Jelena Opsenica Kostić ◽

Damjana Panić

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Social Support ◽

Negative Affect ◽

Relationship Satisfaction ◽

Positive Affect ◽

Psychological Adjustment ◽

Perceived Social Support ◽

Control Group ◽

Positive And Negative Affect ◽

Fertility Problems

Infertility is a medical problem, but it can have significant consequences for mental health. Emotional problems caused by infertility are very common, so infertility can be called a life crisis. Therefore, it is very important to identify protective and risk factors that would determine the psychological adjustment to infertility. The aim of this study was to examine the differences in perceived social support, relationship satisfaction, and positive and negative affect between women undergoing IVF treatment and women who do not have fertility problems. The research also aims to examine whether perceived social support and relationship satisfaction were significant predictors of positive and negative affect in both groups. The study included 292 women – 163 who were undergoing the IVF treatment at the time of assessment and 129 without fertility problems who made up the control group. The following instruments were applied: the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, the Relationship Satisfaction Scale, and the Serbian Inventory of Affect based on PANAS. The results show statistically significant differences between the examined groups in the level of negative affect, which is more pronounced in the group of women undergoing IVF treatment. Regarding positive affect, there is a trend of a more frequent experience of positive emotions in the women from the control group. Perceived social support and relationship satisfaction are significant predictors of both positive and negative affect for the women undergoing IVF treatment. As for the control group, the results of the regression analysis show that perceived social support and relationship satisfaction are significant predictors of negative affect, while in the case of positive affect, relationship satisfaction stands out as a significant predictor. The results indicate that perceived social support and relationship satisfaction can be important protective factors when it comes to psychological adjustment to infertility, which can serve as a guideline for mental health professionals who work with infertile couples.

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Group Game-Based Physical Activity Effects on Positive and Negative Affect of Male Adolescent Prisoners

Jurnal RAP (Riset Aktual Psikologi Universitas Negeri Padang) ◽

10.24036/rapun.v12i1.112204 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 57

Author(s):

Free Dirga Dwatra

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Negative Affect ◽

Positive Affect ◽

Justice System ◽

Juvenile Justice System ◽

Well Being ◽

Positive And Negative Affect ◽

Mental Well Being ◽

Male Prisoners ◽

Problem Drug

This report arises from a larger study that aims to investigate the mental health of adolescent prisoners. The Indonesian juvenile justice system locks up more than half of young offenders (Pratiwi & Faridah, 2019). Questions have been rise about the mental well-being of the adolescent. This study, with a sample of 28 male prisoners age between 14 to 18 years old, explored the effects of physical activity using group-based games on mental heath of adolescent prisoners. These participants showed many behavioral and emotional problems before entering and during their time in prison, such as: family problem, drug abuse,problems with peers and officers. The participants had three sessions of game activities in one week. The pretest-posttest design was used to collect the data. This experimental study measured with positive affect and negative affect scale (PANAS) by Watson, Clark, and Carey (1988). Results show that group games-based physical activity can increase positive affect M= 4.750 (Sig = 0.001) from pretest to posttest, and decrease negative affect M= 2.968 (Sig = 0.003) from pretest to posttest. This study aims to show that that group games-based physical activity can make their lives inside the prison would be meaningful.

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Physical Activity Measurement in Older Adults: Relationships with Mental Health

Journal of Aging and Physical Activity ◽

10.1123/japa.16.4.369 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 16 (4) ◽

pp. 369-380 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

Sarah J. Parker ◽

Scott J. Strath ◽

Ann M. Swartz

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Physical Activity ◽

Older Adults ◽

Negative Affect ◽

Satisfaction With Life ◽

The Elderly ◽

Satisfaction With Life Scale ◽

Activity Measurement ◽

Positive And Negative Affect ◽

The Relationship

This study examined the relationship between physical activity (PA) and mental health among older adults as measured by objective and subjective PA-assessment instruments. Pedometers (PED), accelerometers (ACC), and the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE) were administered to measure 1 week of PA among 84 adults age 55–87 (mean = 71) years. General mental health was measured using the Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS) and the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWL). Linear regressions revealed that PA estimated by PED significantly predicted 18.1%, 8.3%, and 12.3% of variance in SWL and positive and negative affect, respectively, whereas PA estimated by the PASE did not predict any mental health variables. Results from ACC data were mixed. Hotelling–William tests between correlation coefficients revealed that the relationship between PED and SWL was significantly stronger than the relationship between PASE and SWL. Relationships between PA and mental health might depend on the PA measure used.

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Daily intra-individual variability of positive but not negative affect impacts moderate to vigorous physical activity

European Heart Journal ◽

10.1093/ehjci/ehaa946.3411 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 41 (Supplement_2) ◽

Author(s):

K Wierenga ◽

S.E Moore ◽

D.M Fresco

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Negative Affect ◽

Positive Affect ◽

Vigorous Physical Activity ◽

The United States ◽

Individual Variability ◽

Time Span ◽

World Health ◽

Positive And Negative Affect ◽

Latent Trajectory

Abstract Introduction The World Health Organization recommends moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) for 150 minutes per week to reduce the risk of primary or secondary cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Adherence to these recommendations is only around 30% in the US. Identifying reliable barriers or facilitators of time spent in MVPA is a critical component to primary and secondary CVD prevention. Negative affect, including feelings such as being sad, nervous, and restless, is known to diminish time spent in MVPA, whereas positive affect, which includes feelings such as being calm, happy, or full of life is associated with MVPA increases. Relatedly, variability in positive but not negative affect is associated with poorer physical health. What is unclear is how intra-individual variability of positive and negative affect may influence MVPA. Research question What is the influence of variations (i.e. intra-individual day-to-day) in positive and negative affect on variations in MVPA? Method. Guided by the individual and self-management theory, a secondary analysis was conducted of data from a nationwide US sample of participants. Using data from the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) Refresh Wave Study Daily Diary Project, we analyzed eight consecutive days of affect and MVPA assessments in a sample of 553 healthy participants (54% women, 86% white, mean age = 48.7 years). Latent trajectory models were computed to determine the influence of daily positive and negative affect on daily MVPA. Results Affect variability, calculated as the standard deviation of daily positive and negative affect, was positively correlated with MVPA variability. An autoregressive cross-lagged latent trajectory model provided the best fit to examine relationships between positive affect, negative affect, and MVPA (χ2=946.54, df=379, p<0.001; CFI=0.95; RMSEA=0.05, SRMR = 0.06). Positive, but not negative affect, intercepts were significantly correlated with MVPA trajectories (r=0.19, p<0.05). Individuals who initially begin the eight day time span with a higher reported positive affect show a modest increase in MVPA over the same time period (r=0.19, p<0.001). By contrast, individuals evidencing increases in positive affect over the time span showed a decreased rate of change in MVPA over that same time (r=−0.32, p<0.001). Conclusion The association of positive affect to MVPA necessitates a complex analysis to more fully understand intra-individual-level interactions. Relatively higher positive affect with fewer fluctuations was associated with greater MVPA. These intriguing preliminary findings must be considered in light of important limitations (e.g., only eight days of data; affect and MVPA do not necessarily follow diurnal patterns). Still, findings support the view that beginning with positive affect may lead to stability in time spent in MVPA. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding source: None

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Feasibility and Preliminary Effectiveness of a Peer-Developed and Virtually Delivered Community Mental Health Training Program (Emotional CPR): Pre-Post Study

Journal of Participatory Medicine ◽

10.2196/25867 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

pp. e25867

Author(s):

Amanda L Myers ◽

Caroline Collins-Pisano ◽

Joelle C Ferron ◽

Karen L Fortuna

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Negative Affect ◽

Positive Affect ◽

Lived Experience ◽

Peer Support ◽

Social Connectedness ◽

Mental Health Problems ◽

Positive And Negative Affect ◽

Supportive Behaviors ◽

Empathic Listening

Background The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a global mental health crisis, highlighting the need for a focus on community-wide mental health. Emotional CPR (eCPR) is a program and practice developed by persons with a lived experience of recovery from trauma or mental health challenges to train community members from diverse backgrounds to support others through mental health crises. eCPR trainers have found that eCPR may promote feelings of belonging by increasing supportive behaviors toward individuals with mental health problems. Thus, clinical outcomes related to positive and negative affect would improve along with feelings of loneliness. Objective This study examined the feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of eCPR. Methods We employed a pre-post design with 151 individuals, including peer support specialists, service users, clinicians, family members, and nonprofit leaders, who participated in virtual eCPR trainings between April 20, 2020, and July 31, 2020. Instruments were administered before and after training and included the Herth Hope Scale; Empowerment Scale; Flourishing Scale (perceived capacity to support individuals); Mindful Attention Awareness Scale; Active-Empathic Listening Scale (supportive behaviors toward individuals with mental health challenges); Social Connectedness Scale (feelings of belonging and connection with others); Positive and Negative Affect Schedule; and University of California, Los Angeles 3-item Loneliness Scale (symptoms and emotions). The eCPR fidelity scale was used to determine the feasibility of delivering eCPR with fidelity. We conducted 2-tailed paired t tests to examine posttraining improvements related to each scale. Additionally, data were stratified to identify pre-post differences by role. Results Findings indicate that it is feasible for people with a lived experience of a mental health condition to develop a program and train people to deliver eCPR with fidelity. Statistically significant pre-post changes were found related to one’s ability to identify emotions, support others in distress, communicate nonverbally, share emotions, and take care of oneself, as well as to one’s feelings of social connectedness, self-perceived flourishing, and positive affect (P≤.05). Findings indicated promising evidence of pre-post improvements (not statistically significant) related to loneliness, empowerment, active-empathetic listening, mindfulness awareness, and hope. Nonprofit leaders and workers demonstrated the greatest improvements related to loneliness, social connectedness, empathic listening, and flourishing. Peer support specialists demonstrated the greatest improvements related to positive affect, and clinicians demonstrated the greatest improvements related to mindfulness awareness. Conclusions Promising evidence indicates that eCPR, a peer-developed and peer-delivered program, may increase feelings of belonging while increasing supportive behaviors toward individuals with mental health problems and improving clinical outcomes related to positive and negative affect and feelings of loneliness.

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Feasibility and Preliminary Effectiveness of a Peer-Developed and Virtually Delivered Community Mental Health Training Program (Emotional CPR): Pre-Post Study (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.25867 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Amanda L Myers ◽

Caroline Collins-Pisano ◽

Joelle C Ferron ◽

Karen L Fortuna

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Negative Affect ◽

Positive Affect ◽

Lived Experience ◽

Peer Support ◽

Social Connectedness ◽

Mental Health Problems ◽

Positive And Negative Affect ◽

Supportive Behaviors ◽

Empathic Listening

BACKGROUND The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a global mental health crisis, highlighting the need for a focus on community-wide mental health. Emotional CPR (eCPR) is a program and practice developed by persons with a lived experience of recovery from trauma or mental health challenges to train community members from diverse backgrounds to support others through mental health crises. eCPR trainers have found that eCPR may promote feelings of belonging by increasing supportive behaviors toward individuals with mental health problems. Thus, clinical outcomes related to positive and negative affect would improve along with feelings of loneliness. OBJECTIVE This study examined the feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of eCPR. METHODS We employed a pre-post design with 151 individuals, including peer support specialists, service users, clinicians, family members, and nonprofit leaders, who participated in virtual eCPR trainings between April 20, 2020, and July 31, 2020. Instruments were administered before and after training and included the Herth Hope Scale; Empowerment Scale; Flourishing Scale (perceived capacity to support individuals); Mindful Attention Awareness Scale; Active-Empathic Listening Scale (supportive behaviors toward individuals with mental health challenges); Social Connectedness Scale (feelings of belonging and connection with others); Positive and Negative Affect Schedule; and University of California, Los Angeles 3-item Loneliness Scale (symptoms and emotions). The eCPR fidelity scale was used to determine the feasibility of delivering eCPR with fidelity. We conducted 2-tailed paired <i>t</i> tests to examine posttraining improvements related to each scale. Additionally, data were stratified to identify pre-post differences by role. RESULTS Findings indicate that it is feasible for people with a lived experience of a mental health condition to develop a program and train people to deliver eCPR with fidelity. Statistically significant pre-post changes were found related to one’s ability to identify emotions, support others in distress, communicate nonverbally, share emotions, and take care of oneself, as well as to one’s feelings of social connectedness, self-perceived flourishing, and positive affect (<i>P</i>≤.05). Findings indicated promising evidence of pre-post improvements (not statistically significant) related to loneliness, empowerment, active-empathetic listening, mindfulness awareness, and hope. Nonprofit leaders and workers demonstrated the greatest improvements related to loneliness, social connectedness, empathic listening, and flourishing. Peer support specialists demonstrated the greatest improvements related to positive affect, and clinicians demonstrated the greatest improvements related to mindfulness awareness. CONCLUSIONS Promising evidence indicates that eCPR, a peer-developed and peer-delivered program, may increase feelings of belonging while increasing supportive behaviors toward individuals with mental health problems and improving clinical outcomes related to positive and negative affect and feelings of loneliness.

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Positive and negative affect in illusion of control

Psihologija ◽

10.2298/psi1204395n ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 45 (4) ◽

pp. 395-407 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Zdenka Novovic ◽

Aleksandra Kovac ◽

Veljko Djuric ◽

Miklos Biro

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Negative Affect ◽

Positive Affect ◽

Illusion Of Control ◽

First Year ◽

Positive And Negative Affect ◽

Depressive Affect ◽

Before And After ◽

First Year University ◽

Depressive States

Research regarding the illusion of control was dominated by the studies examining the effect of depressive affect on the overestimation of control over uncontrollable events. However, the relative contributions of high Negative Affect (NA) and low Positive Affect (PA), as underlying dimensions of depressive states, has remained unclear. This study researched how both PA and NA had affected the illusion of control. Two weeks before illusion induction, trait PA and NA of 54 first-year university students were assessed, and just before and after illusion induction task their state forms were estimated. The induction consisted of solving unsolvable tasks and obtaining positive feedback for all the answers. The illusion of control was significantly correlated with all three PA scores, and none of the NA. After controlling for trait measures, the PA after illusion induction remained the only significant predictor of illusion. The relation of positive affect and illusory judgement in maintaining mental health were discussed.

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Family aspects, physical fitness, and physical activity associated with mental-health indicators in adolescents

BMC Public Health ◽

10.1186/s12889-021-12403-2 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Lucía Lema-Gómez ◽

Carlos Mario Arango-Paternina ◽

Cleiber Eusse-López ◽

Jorge Petro ◽

Jose Petro-Petro ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Physical Activity ◽

Public Schools ◽

Physical Fitness ◽

Trait Anxiety ◽

State Anxiety ◽

Screen Time ◽

Nuclear Family ◽

Health Indicators ◽

Family Functionality

Abstract Background The objective of the study was to analyze the associations of family aspects, physical fitness, and physical activity with mental-health indicators in a sample of adolescents from Colombia. Methods A cross-sectional study carried out in a sample of 988 adolescents (11-17 years-old) from public schools in Montería. Mental-health indicators were evaluated: Stress, depression, anxiety, happiness, health-related quality of life (HRQL), and subjective wellness. Family aspects included family affluence, functionality, and structure. These variables, along with physical activity and screen time, were measured with questionnaires. A fitness score was established by assessing the components of fitness: Flexibility, cardiorespiratory fitness, grip strength, and lower-limb strength. Associations were analyzed by multivariate linear regression models. Results Nuclear family structure was associated with lower stress level (− 1.08, CI: − 1.98 - -0.18), and family functionality was associated with all the studied mental-health indicators (Stress: -0.11, CI: − 0.17 - -0.06; depression: -0.20, CI: − 0.25 - -0.16; trait anxiety: -0.13, CI: − 0.18 - -0.09; state anxiety: -0.12, CI: − 0.17 - -0.08; happiness: 0.09, CI: 0.07 - 0.1; HRQL: 1.13, CI: 0.99 - 1.27; subjective wellness: 1.67, CI: 1.39 - 1.95). Physical activity was associated (β, 95% Confidence Interval (CI)) with depression (− 0.27, − 0.57 - -0.02), trait anxiety (− 0.39, CI: − 0.65 - -0.13), state anxiety (− 0.30, CI: − 0.53 - -0.07), happiness (0.14, CI: 0.06 - 0.22), HRQL (3.63, CI: 2.86 – 4.43), and subjective wellness (5.29, CI: 3.75 – 6.83). Physical fitness was associated with stress (− 0.80, CI: − 1.17 - -0.43), state anxiety (− 0.45, CI: − 0.73 - -0.17), and HRQL (1.75, CI: 0.82 - 2.69); screen time was only associated with stress (0.06, CI: 0.02 - 0.11). Conclusions Family aspects were associated with mental health indicators, especially family functionality which was associated all mental-health indicators. Similarly, fitness, physical activity, and screen time were associated with the studied indicators of mental health. Particularly, physical activity was associated with all the mental-health indicators, except stress, which was only associated with screen time. Physical fitness was associated with stress, anxiety, and HRQL. Future studies could explore the causal relationships of fitness, physical activity and screen time with mental health in adolescents.

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Association of Affect and Gait Performance in Dual-Task Walking in Non-Demented Older Adults

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.920 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 287-287

Author(s):

Deepan Guharajan ◽

Roee Holtzer

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Negative Affect ◽

Positive Affect ◽

Dual Task ◽

Task Demands ◽

Gait Velocity ◽

Positive And Negative Affect ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Aging Populations ◽

Task Conditions

Abstract Aging populations are at increased risk to experience mobility disability, which is associated with falls, frailty, and mortality. Previous studies have not examined the concurrent associations of both positive and negative affect with gait velocity. We examined whether individual differences in positive and negative affect predicted dual-task performance decrements in velocity in a dual-task (DT) paradigm in non-demented older adults. We hypothesize that positive affect would be associated with lower DT costs, and negative affect would be associated with higher DT costs. Participants (N = 403; mean age, = 76.22 (6.55); females = 56%) completed the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) and a DT paradigm that involved three task conditions: Single-Task-Walk (STW), Alpha (cognitive interference requiring participants to recite alternate letters of the alphabet), and Dual-Task-Walk (DTW) requiring participant to perform the two single tasks concurrently. Gait velocity was assessed via an instrumented walkway. As expected, results of a linear mixed effects model (LME) showed a significant decline in gait velocity (cm/s) from STW to DTW (estimate = -11.79; 95%CI = -12.82 to -10.77). LME results further revealed that negative affect was associated with greater decline in gait velocity from STW to DTW (ie., worse DT cost) (estimate = -0.38; 95%CI = -0.73 to -0.03). Positive affect did not, however, predict DT costs in gait velocity (estimate = -0.09; 95%CI = -0.23 to 0.05). These findings suggest that increased negative affect interferes with the allocation of attentional resources to competing task demands inherent in the DT paradigm.

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