Jennifer L Ramsey1, Shevaun D Neupert1, Daniel K Mroczek2, Avron Spiro3. 1. a Department of Psychology , North Carolina State University Raleigh , NC , USA. 2. b Department of Psychology Nortwestern University , Evanston , IL , USA. 3. c Massachusetts Veterans Epidemiologic Research and Information Center (MAVERIC), VA Boston Healthcare System; Department of Epidemiology , Boston University School of Public Health ; and Department of Psychiatry , Boston University School of Medicine , Boston , MA , USA.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: The present study examined age differences among older adults in the daily co-occurrence of affect and its potential role in buffering the negative effects of health stressors. DESIGN: Participants were from the Veterans Affairs Normative Aging Study and included 249 young-old adults (age = 60-79 years, M = 71.6) and 64 old-old adults (age = 80-89, M = 82.9) who completed questionnaires assessing stressors, physical health symptoms, and positive and negative affect for eight consecutive days. RESULTS: An independent samples t-test showed young-old and old-old adults did not significantly differ in their mean levels of daily co-occurrence of affect. The between-person relationships among stressors, health and daily co-occurrence of affect revealed that neither stressors nor health were significantly related to daily co-occurrence of affect. However, results from a multilevel model revealed a three-way cross-level interaction (health stressor × age group × co-occurrence of affect) where old-old adults with higher levels of co-occurrence of affect were less emotionally reactive to health stressors than young-old adults. CONCLUSION: These findings provide support for the assertion that co-occurrence of affect functions in an adaptive capacity and highlight the importance of examining domain-specific stressors.
OBJECTIVES: The present study examined age differences among older adults in the daily co-occurrence of affect and its potential role in buffering the negative effects of health stressors. DESIGN:Participants were from the Veterans Affairs Normative Aging Study and included 249 young-old adults (age = 60-79 years, M = 71.6) and 64 old-old adults (age = 80-89, M = 82.9) who completed questionnaires assessing stressors, physical health symptoms, and positive and negative affect for eight consecutive days. RESULTS: An independent samples t-test showed young-old and old-old adults did not significantly differ in their mean levels of daily co-occurrence of affect. The between-person relationships among stressors, health and daily co-occurrence of affect revealed that neither stressors nor health were significantly related to daily co-occurrence of affect. However, results from a multilevel model revealed a three-way cross-level interaction (health stressor × age group × co-occurrence of affect) where old-old adults with higher levels of co-occurrence of affect were less emotionally reactive to health stressors than young-old adults. CONCLUSION: These findings provide support for the assertion that co-occurrence of affect functions in an adaptive capacity and highlight the importance of examining domain-specific stressors.
Entities:
Keywords:
aging; daily co-occurrence of affect; health stress; negative affect
Authors: Autumn M Gallegos; Michael Hoerger; Nancy L Talbot; Jan A Moynihan; Paul R Duberstein Journal: Aging Ment Health Date: 2013-05-22 Impact factor: 3.658
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