The Predictors of Negative and Positive Affect among People with Dementia: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background and Objectives: This cross-sectional study examined the predictors of negative and positive affect among individuals with dementia. Materials and Methods: A sample of 102 Jordanian participants diagnosed with dementia was recruited from residential care facilities, and data were collected using different measures. Results: The results revealed that higher levels of negative affect were significantly associated with increased physical and verbal agitation among individuals with dementia. Conversely, lower levels of positive affect were associated with residing in a nursing home. Conclusions: These findings highlight the importance of recognizing the impact of both negative and positive affect on the well-being of individuals with dementia. Interventions targeting the reduction of negative affect and promoting positive affect could alleviate agitation and enhance emotional closeness in this population.

Cyclical Links Between Daily Partner Interactions and Sleep Quality in Older Adult Couples: The Mediating Role of Perceived Partner Responsiveness and Negative Affect.

Researchers have found significant associations between romantic relationship experiences and sleep quality. However, most existing studies are cross-sectional, few have focused on the aging population, and few have considered mechanisms underlying such associations. To address these gaps, 238 older adult couples completed 7-day daily diaries, reporting on their daily relationship, emotional, and sleep experiences. Multilevel structural equation modeling revealed that husbands' higher negative partner interactions and lower positive partner interactions were indirectly associated with their own and their wives' decreased sleep quality that night via lower perceived partner responsiveness and increased negative affect. Moreover, decreased sleep quality was associated with participants' and their partners' increased negative partner interactions and participants' decreased positive partner interactions the next day, with no significant gender differences. This research provides a foundation for future research on cyclical associations between romantic relationship experiences and sleep quality, with implications for relationship-based interventions to improve sleep quality.

Cannabis use as a predictor and outcome of positive and negative affect in college students: An ecological momentary assessment study.

BACKGROUND: Reinforcement models identify negative affect (NA) and positive affect (PA) to be important momentary determinants and outcomes of cannabis use. Sensitization and allostatic models further suggest that these mood-cannabis associations are stronger among individuals with more cannabis-related problems. Despite this theoretical background and the fact that cannabis is commonly used for its mood-enhancing effects among college students, surprisingly, little is known about the momentary associations between mood and cannabis use in this population. AIMS: To examine the associations between (a) momentary within-person variations in NA (worried, stressed, nervous) and PA (happy, enthusiastic, proud, excited) and intention to use cannabis within the next hour, (b) the within-person variations in time elapsed since last cannabis use, amount used and momentary NA and PA, and (c) to test whether cannabis-related problems moderate the stated associations. METHOD: Eighty, more-than-weekly, cannabis using students at the University of Amsterdam reported on cannabis use, NA and PA three times daily for 14 consecutive days. Mixed-effects models were performed to analyze the dataset. RESULTS: Within-persons, relatively high PA and low NA were associated with a higher likelihood of intending to use cannabis. Within-persons, more recent and greater amounts of cannabis use were associated with relatively high PA. More recent cannabis use was associated with relatively low NA. Cannabis-related problems did not moderate the associations. CONCLUSIONS: While recent cannabis use related to higher PA and lower NA, high PA but low NA preceded use, supporting positive reinforcement rather than negative reinforcement in this college sample of regular cannabis users.

Differential psychological effects of cognitive-behavioral stress management among breast cancer patients with high and low initial cancer-specific distress.

OBJECTIVE: Cognitive-behavioral stress management (CBSM) improves adaptation to primary treatment for breast cancer (BCa), evidenced as reductions in distress and increases in positive affect. Because not all BCa patients may need psychosocial intervention, identifying those most likely to benefit is important. A secondary analysis of a previous randomized trial tested whether baseline level of cancer-specific distress moderated CBSM effects on adaptation over 12 months. We hypothesized that patients experiencing the greatest cancer-specific distress in the weeks after surgery would show the greatest CBSM-related effects on distress and affect. METHODS: Stages 0-III BCa patients (N = 240) were enrolled 2-8 weeks after surgery and randomized to either a 10-week group CBSM intervention or a 1-day psychoeducational (PE) control group. They completed the Impact of Event Scale (IES) and Affect Balance Scale (ABS) at study entry, and at 6- and 12- month follow-ups. RESULTS: Latent Growth Curve Modeling across the 12-month interval showed that CBSM interacted with initial cancer-related distress to influence distress and affect. Follow-up analyses showed that those with higher initial distress were significantly improved by CBSM compared to control treatment. No differential improvement in affect or intrusive thoughts occurred among low-distress women. CONCLUSION: CBSM decreased negative affect and intrusive thoughts and increases positive affect among post-surgical BCa patients presenting with elevated cancer-specific distress after surgery, but did not show similar effects in women with low levels of cancer-specific distress. Identifying patients most in need of intervention in the period after surgery may optimize cost-effective cancer care.

Immediate postpartum mood assessment and postpartum depressive symptoms.

BACKGROUND: Negative affect (NA) and positive affect (PA) in the early postpartum period have been associated with postpartum depressive symptoms, but the exact relationship is not well understood. This study aimed to determine if NA and PA in the immediate postpartum period predicted postpartum depressive symptoms over and above well-established predictors (previous trauma, history of depression). METHODS: Participants were prospectively recruited from a Mother-Baby Unit at a large Midwestern academic medical center in the United States from April 2011 to April 2014. Participants (N=526) completed the Daily Experiences Questionnaire (DEQ), a self-report measure which assessed NA and PA, within three days post-delivery. Participants then reported their depressive symptoms at two weeks (n=364) and twelve weeks postpartum (n=271). RESULTS: Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that low PA and high NA after birth significantly predicted depressive symptoms early (at 2 weeks) and later (at 12 weeks) in the postpartum period, over and above previous traumatic experiences and history of depression. LIMITATIONS: The sample was relatively homogenous, and data were from self-report instruments. CONCLUSIONS: The current study found NA and PA in the days immediately after birth predicted depressive symptoms at multiple time points in the postpartum period. Because the perinatal period places women at a higher risk for depressive symptomatology, prevention and early intervention are critical. Measuring affect in hospitals immediately after birth may provide a more normalized set of items that is predictive of later depression, which will allow physicians to identify those at highest risk for developing depressive symptoms.