scholarly journals A Week During COVID-19: Online Social Interactions Predict Greater Connection and More Stress

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maureen Tibbetts ◽  
Adam Esptein-Shuman ◽  
Kostadin Kushlev
Keyword(s):  
Negative Affect ◽  
Positive Affect ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Living Arrangements ◽  
Social Connectedness ◽  
Specific Interaction ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Romantic Partners ◽  
Social Distancing

Who thrives while socially distancing? For this descriptive, exploratory study, we polled a sample of over 500 participants from the United States on April 8, 2020—in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic when practicing social distancing was at its peak. Above and beyond other social and nonsocial activities, living and employment arrangements, personality traits, demographics, and other variables, people who spent more time interacting with close others—either in person or online—felt more socially connected. However, only interacting with close others in person, but not online, predicted greater positive affect. In contrast, people who spent more time interacting with weak ties online experienced greater negative affect and more stress. Looking at specific interaction partners, we found that people who interacted with their relatives, romantic partners, and even coworkers/classmates felt more socially connected. Living arrangements mattered little beyond people’s social interactions, except for living with one’s children, which predicted greater stress. Certain social online activities, including playing games with close ties and group/club meetings predicted greater positive affect. Amongst nonsocial activities, active leisure like exercise emerged as a robust predictor of positive affect, whereas passive leisure like watching TV predicted greater negative affect. Even during a historic pandemic and unprecedented conditions of social distancing, then, the factors that predict well-being are much the same as those already established in the literature. Indeed, much like in-person interactions, online social interactions predict greater social connectedness. However, unlike in-person interactions, online interactions simultaneously predict more negative affect and more stress.

scholarly journals Volunteers’ Felt Respect and Its Associations With Volunteering Retention, Daily Affect, Well-being, and Mortality

2018 ◽  
Vol 75 (8) ◽  
pp. 1625-1636 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dwight C K Tse
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Negative Affect ◽  
Positive Affect ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
National Sample ◽  
Retention Rates ◽  
Mortality Data ◽  
Volunteer Work ◽  
Daily Affect

Abstract Objectives Volunteering is associated with improved physical and psychological well-being; volunteers feeling more respect for their work may have better well-being than their counterparts. Methods This study investigated the effects of felt respect for volunteer work on volunteering retention, daily affect, well-being (subjective, psychological, and social), and mortality. The study analyzed survey and mortality data from a national sample of 2,677 volunteers from the Midlife in the United States Study over a 20-year span. Daily affect data were obtained from a subsample of 1,032 volunteers. Results Compared to volunteers feeling less respect from others, those feeling more respect (a) were more likely to continue volunteering 10 and 20 years later, (b) had higher levels of daily positive affect and lower levels of daily negative affect, and (c) had higher levels of well-being over a 20-year period. The effect of felt respect on mortality was not statistically significant. Discussion Greater level of felt respect for volunteer work is positively related to volunteers’ retention rates, daily affective experience, and well-being.

scholarly journals The COVID-19-Related Lockdown in Qatar: Associations Among Demographics, Social Distancing, Mood Changes, and Quality of Life

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed M. Megreya ◽  
Robert D. Latzman ◽  
Aisha M. Al-Ahmadi ◽  
Nasser F. Al-Dosari
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
Negative Affect ◽  
Positive Affect ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Mood Changes

AbstractThe worldwide spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the absence of medical treatment and vaccination, the delayed onset of symptoms, and the rapid human-to-human transmission have led the vast majority of countries to impose strict social distancing procedures. Whereas it appears that social distancing is an effective strategy for mitigating spread, it may also result in a variety of unintended negative consequences to individuals’ psychological well-being and mental health. During the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the present study examined associations among some demographic variables (gender, age, marital and working statuses, and having a family member or a friend infected with COVID-19), acceptance of social distancing, mood changes, and quality of life (QoL) in Qatar, a high-income Middle Eastern Arabic-speaking country. Older, married, and working participants were more accepting of social distancing than younger, unmarried, and non-working participants, respectively. Participants indicated that, during this time, they became more distressed, upset, scared, irritable, nervous, and afraid, and less inspired and determined. In a stark contrast, more individuals indicated that they became more interested, alert, and attentive, whereas higher percentages of participants reported feeling less guilty, hostile, and ashamed. Social distancing correlated positively with negative affect, whereas social avoidances correlated positively with positive affect and with physical, psychological, social, and environmental QoL. Finally, positive affect correlated positively, and negative affect correlated negatively, with these four domains of QoL. These results highlight the need for public health and clinical providers to consider peoples’ psychological well-being and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic.

scholarly journals The Stress-Buffering Effect of Daily Physical Activity on Negative and Positive Affect

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 405-405
Author(s):  
Sun Ah Lee ◽  
Susanna Joo ◽  
Kayeon Lee ◽  
Hye Won Chai ◽  
Hey Jung Jun ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Negative Affect ◽  
Positive Affect ◽  
Multilevel Models ◽  
Vigorous Physical Activity ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
National Study ◽  
Stress Buffering ◽  
Daily Experiences

Abstract Previous studies show that physical activity is beneficial for emotional well-being. This study extends prior research by examining whether engagement in physical activity moderates the association between daily stressor severity and daily emotional well-being. We used data from the second wave of the National Study of Daily Experiences, a sub-project of the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study. Respondents (N = 1,851; ages 33 to84) reported their daily experiences across eight consecutive days. Multilevel models explored concurrent and lagged interaction effects between daily stressor severity and physical activity on negative and positive affect and whether these associations differed by age. Physical activity was measured by engagement in vigorous physical activity for at least 30 minutes. Results showed significant interactions between stressor severity and physical activity on same-day negative and positive affect. Specifically, stressor severity was associated with smaller elevation in daily negative affect on physically active days (b = 0.08, p < 0.001) compared to non-active days (b = 0.11, p < 0.001). Reductions in daily positive affect were greater on physically inactive days (b = -0.11, p < 0.001) compared to active days (b = -0.08, p < 0.001). These associations did not differ by age, but additional findings revealed that stressor severity was associated with greater elevation in negative affect among younger respondents (b = 0.12, p < 0.001) than older adults (b = 0.10, p < 0.001). These results highlight the importance of engagement in physical activity for emotional well-being under stressful situations in daily context.

scholarly journals Varied and unexpected changes in the well-being of seniors in the United States amid the COVID-19 pandemic

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. e0252962
Author(s):  
Silvia Barcellos ◽  
Mireille Jacobson ◽  
Arthur A. Stone
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Negative Affect ◽  
Positive Affect ◽  
Psychological Health ◽  
Perceived Risk ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Related Factor ◽  
Percentage Points

Recent evidence suggests that psychological health deteriorated during the COVID-19 pandemic but far less is known about changes in other measures of well-being. We examined changes in a broad set of measures of well-being among seniors just before and after the recognition of community spread of COVID-19 in the United States. We fielded two waves of a survey to a large, national online panel of adults ages 60 to 68 at wave 1. We measured depressive symptoms, negative affect, positive affect, pain, life satisfaction and self-rated health in each survey wave. 16,644 adults answered well-being questions in waves 1 and 2 of our survey (mean[SD]: age 64 [2.6]; 10,165 women [61%]; 15,161 [91%] white). We found large (20%; p<0.001) increases in the rate of depressive symptoms (1.4 percentage points; 95% CI, 0.97 to 1.86) and negative mood (0.225 scale points; 95% CI, 0.205 to 0.245) but no change in self-reported health and a decrease (12.5%; p<0.001) in the rate of self-reported pain (5 percentage points; 95% CI, -5.8 to -4.3). Depressive symptoms and negative affect increased more for women. Higher perceived risk of getting COVID-19 and of dying from the disease were associated with larger increases in the rate of depressive symptoms and negative affect and larger decreases in positive affect and life satsifaction. COVID-19 related job/income loss was the only pandemic-related factor predictive of the decline in pain. Although depressive symptoms and mood worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic, other measures of well-being were either not materially affected or even improved.

Daily social interactions and well-being in older adults: The role of interaction modality

2021 ◽  
pp. 026540752110525 ◽  
Author(s):  
Birthe Macdonald ◽  
Minxia Luo ◽  
Gizem Hülür
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Negative Affect ◽  
Positive Affect ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Social Relationships ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Face To Face

Associations between social relationships and well-being are widely documented across the lifespan, including in older age. Older adults increasingly use digital communication technologies. In the present study, we examine the role of social interactions for older adults’ daily well-being with a focus on three interaction modalities (face-to-face, telephone, and digital). Specifically, we examine (a) whether people who are more socially active than others report higher levels of well-being and (b) how day-to-day fluctuations in the number of social interactions are associated with day-to-day fluctuations of well-being, separately by interaction modality. We use data from 115 participants (age: M = 72 years, SD = 5, range = 65–94; 40% women), who documented their social interactions over 21 days and reported their well-being each evening (including positive affect, negative affect, and loneliness). Taken together, our findings show that frequency of face-to-face interactions is more consistently related to well-being than telephone or digital interactions. At the between-person level, those who report more face-to-face social interactions than others across 21 days report higher levels of positive affect than others. At the within-person level, on days where participants report more face-to-face social interactions than their own average, they report higher positive affect, lower negative affect, and lower loneliness than usual. In addition, a higher number of digital interactions is associated with lower negative affect at the between-person level. In summary, our findings suggest that face-to-face social interactions are uniquely relevant to older adults’ daily well-being. We discuss implications of these findings for future research.

scholarly journals Connected while apart: Associations between social distancing, computer-mediated communication frequency, and positive affect during the early phases of COVID-19

2021 ◽  
pp. 026540752110413
Author(s):  
Kevin N. Shufford ◽  
Deborah L. Hall ◽  
Ashley K. Randall ◽  
Bailey M. Braunstein ◽  
Mary M. O’Brien ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Positive Affect ◽  
Close Contact ◽  
Computer Mediated Communication ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Mediated Communication ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Computer Mediated ◽  
Nationally Representative

The COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally altered life for individuals worldwide. Specifically, at the time of data collection (late April 2020), most forms of face-to-face interactions were limited and, in some cases, prohibited, as close contact with others increases the rate of transmitting the virus. As social beings, engaging in social distancing may have negative consequences on well-being. However, many individuals maintained their social connections by means of computer-mediated communication (CMC), such as hosting FaceTime happy hours or family reunions. Utilizing a nationally representative sample of 985 adults from the United States, this study investigated the association between social distancing adherence and positive affect and the extent to which this association might be mediated by CMC frequency. Results did not indicate a direct effect of social distancing adherence on positive affect. However, an indirect effect between these two variables occurred when mediated by CMC frequency. Specifically, greater social distancing adherence predicted greater frequency of CMC, which predicted greater positive affect. These findings held controlling for age, gender, race/ethnicity, relationship status, and income. Results suggest that despite social distancing, CMC may be a beneficial way to engage with others during and, perhaps, beyond COVID-19.

scholarly journals Failure to Meet Generative Self-Expectations is Linked to Poorer Cognitive–Affective Well-Being

2018 ◽  
Vol 75 (4) ◽  
pp. 792-801 ◽  
Author(s):  
Molli R Grossman ◽  
Tara L Gruenewald
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Positive Affect ◽  
Social Connectedness ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Affective States ◽  
Multiple Mediation ◽  
Self Perceptions ◽  
Self Worth ◽  
Over Time

Abstract Objectives Generativity, or concern with contributing to others, is theorized to be an important goal of mid-to-late life. Greater self-perceptions of generativity are associated with better well-being over time. The aim of this study is to examine how generative self-perceptions and failure to meet generative expectations over time are linked to specific cognitive–affective states (feelings of connectedness, self-worth, and positive affect), and consequently, life satisfaction. Method Analyses used data from Waves 2 and 3 of the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS). Multiple mediation was utilized to assess whether these cognitive–affective states linked generative failure to decreased life satisfaction. A Johnson–Neyman moderation analysis determined whether these associations vary with age. Results In demographically adjusted regressions, generative contributions and expectations were associated with greater perceived social connectedness, self-worth, and positive effect. Generative failure was associated with lower life satisfaction, a link that was strongest in the middle-aged and young-old and mediated by the cognitive–affective states. Discussion Greater feelings of generativity, and more positive expectations for future contributions, are associated cross-sectionally and over time with better affective well-being. Positive affect, social connectedness, and self-worth may partially explain why generative failure over time is linked to decreased life satisfaction.

scholarly journals Loving Others: The Impact of Compassionate Love on Later-Life Psychological Well-Being

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 480-481
Author(s):  
Eva Kahana ◽  
Tirth Bhatta ◽  
Boaz Kahana ◽  
Nirmala Lekhak
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Negative Affect ◽  
Positive Affect ◽  
Emotional Support ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Compassionate Love ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Existing scholarship in social gerontology has surprisingly paid little attention to broader loving emotions, such as compassionate and altruistic love, as potentially meaningful mechanisms for improving later life psychological well-being. This study examined the influence of feeling love toward other persons and experiencing love from others on later life psychological well-being. We conducted a 3-wave longitudinal study of a representative sample of 340 ethnically heterogeneous community dwelling older residents of Miami, Florida. The increase in feeling of being loved (β=-1.53, p&lt;0.001) and love for others (β=-1.43, p&lt;0.001) led to decline in odds of reporting greater level of depressive symptoms over time. The odds of reporting higher level of positive affect were significantly greater for older adults who reported feeling loved by others (β=1.16, p&lt;0.001) and expressed love for other people (β=1.18, p&lt;0.01). Older adults who felt loved had 0.92-point lower ordered log odds of reporting higher negative affect than those who reported lower level of love. The impact of compassionate love on depressive symptoms and negative affect remained statistically significant even after adjustment for altruistic attitudes and emotional support. The influence of loving emotions on positive affect was, however, explained by altruistic attitudes and emotional support. Our findings underscore the powerful influence of both receiving and giving love for the maintenance of later life psychological well-being. We offer support for the expectation that love is a significant force in the lives of older adults that transcends intimate relationships.

scholarly journals Savouring as an Intervention to Decrease Negative Affect in Anxious Mothers of Children with Autism and Neurotypical Children

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 652
Author(s):  
Ariel Pereira ◽  
Atiqah Azhari ◽  
Chloe Hong ◽  
Gerin Gaskin ◽  
Jessica Borelli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Negative Affect ◽  
Positive Affect ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Positive Experience ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
Mother Child Relationships ◽  
Potential Benefits ◽  
The Individual

Savouring is an emotion regulation strategy and intervention that focuses on the process of attending, intensifying and prolonging positive experiences and positive affect associated with these memories. Personal savouring involves a reflection on positive memories that are specific to the individual and do not involve others. In contrast, relational savouring entails reflecting on instances when people were responsive to the needs of their significant others. Such interventions hold potential benefits in enhancing positive affect (PA) and reducing negative affect (NA) for both parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and parents of neurotypical children. Adults with greater symptoms of generalised anxiety have been found to have less PA and more NA. However, no study has investigated the effects of a mother’s anxiety symptoms on the efficacy of savouring in enhancing PA and reducing NA. Thus, this paper combined personal and relational savouring to investigate whether savouring may enhance PA and reduce NA of a pooled sample of mothers of neurotypical children and mothers of children with ASD. 52 mothers of neurotypical children and 26 mothers of children with ASD aged 3–7 years old were given a series of questionnaires and randomly assigned to either relational savouring or personal savouring conditions. In relational savouring, mothers were asked to reflect upon a shared positive experience with their child while in the personal savouring condition, a personal positive experience was recalled. Across mothers of children with ASD and neurotypical children, findings suggest that savouring leads to a decrease in NA (p < 0.01) but not increases in PA. Similarly, mothers with higher levels of anxiety experience a greater decrease in NA (p < 0.001) compared to mothers with lower levels of anxiety post-savouring. This study proposes that a brief savouring intervention may be effective among mothers of preschoolers. As lower levels of negative affect is linked to healthier psychological well-being, mothers might be able to engage in more effective and warm parenting after savouring exercises, which would cultivate positive mother-child relationships that benefit their children in the long-term.

scholarly journals Diet quality and well-being in children and adolescents: the UP&DOWN longitudinal study

2018 ◽  
Vol 121 (2) ◽  
pp. 221-231 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Esteban-Gonzalo ◽  
Anne I. Turner ◽  
Susan J. Torres ◽  
Irene Esteban-Cornejo ◽  
José Castro-Piñero ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Negative Affect ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Positive Affect ◽  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
Down's Syndrome ◽  
Down’S Syndrome ◽  
Well Being ◽  
School Girls

AbstractThe present study examined the association between high-quality diet (using the Mediterranean diet (MD) as an example) and well-being cross-sectionally and prospectively in Spanish children and adolescents. Participants included 533 children and 987 adolescents at baseline and 527 children and 798 adolescents at 2-year follow-up, included in the UP&DOWN study (follow-up in schoolchildren and adolescents with and without Down’s syndrome). The present study excluded participants with Down’s syndrome. Adherence to an MD was assessed using the KIDMED index. Well-being was measured using the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule and the KIDSCREEN-10 questionnaire. Associations between MD adherence and well-being were assessed using multi-level, mixed-effects linear regression. At baseline, MD adherence was positively related to health-related quality of life in secondary school girls and boys (β=0·41,se0·10,P<0·001;β=0·46,se0·10,P<0·001, respectively) and to positive affect in secondary school girls and boys (β=0·16,se0·05,P=0·006;β=0·20,se0·05,P<0·001, respectively) and in primary school boys (β=0·20,se0·08,P=0·019). At 2-year follow-up, MD adherence was negatively related to negative affect in secondary school adolescent girls and boys (β=–0·15,se0·07,P=0·047;β=–0·16,se0·06,P=0·019, respectively), and MD adherence was associated with higher positive affect scores in secondary school girls (β=0·30,se0·06,P<0·001) and in primary school boys (β=0·20,se0·09,P=0·023). However, MD adherence at baseline did not predict well-being indicators at 2-year follow-up. In conclusion, higher MD adherence was found to behave as a protective factor for positive well-being in cross-sectional analysis.

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