"We Are All in This Together": Which Memorable Moral Messages Guided Student Responses to the COVID-19 Pandemic?

The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed lessons about the moral bases of student compliance with pandemic health messaging, which is a vital concern for educational institutions where students learn and live in close proximity. Existing theoretical and empirical work suggests that audiences may be receptive when prescribed behavior aligns with memorable moral messages (MMM) received from family members or other valued sources. We report the results of two studies that examined the nature of MMM that students found relevant in the fall of 2020 and the moral values they appeared to invoke. In the first, focus group interviews and qualitative thematic analysis were used to identify underlying moral themes. Findings indicated that students were influencegd by MMM focused on empathy/caring, those that addressed communal versus individual responsibilities, and messages that prioritized virtues that were needed (e.g., patience) during the pandemic. During this first phase of the research, we also collected a verbatim list of MMM that students reported recalling and using. To determine if quantitative evidence supported the three-part categorization scheme, a second study asked a sample of 327 students to rate the influence of the MMM reported in Study One. Exploratory factor analysis largely confirmed Study One, with consideration for others, self-determination, and communal responsibility emerging as primary moral considerations. Findings of the two studies are interpreted as partial support for moral foundations theory and consistent with the expectations of negotiated morality theory. Recommendations for health educators and experts are offered, including framing compliance guidelines in a manner consistent with MMM received from family members and helping students navigate the moral tension between self and communal interests.

Are Daily Well-Being and Emotional Reactivity to Stressors Modifiable in Midlife?: Evidence from a Randomized Controlled Trial of an Online Social Intelligence Training Program.

The complex set of challenges that middle-aged adults encounter emphasizes a need for mental health interventions that promote resilience and positive outcomes. The present study evaluated whether an online, self-guided social intelligence training (SIT) program (8 h) improved midlife adults' daily well-being and emotion regulation in the context of their own naturalistic everyday environment. A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 230 midlife adults allocated into either a SIT program or an attentional control (AC) condition that focused on healthy lifestyle education. Intent-to-treat analyses examined two bursts of 14-day daily surveys that participants completed pre- and post-treatment. Multilevel models evaluated pre-to post-treatment changes in mean positive and negative affect, as well as daily emotional reactivity to stressors and responsiveness to uplifts. Compared to the AC group, those in the SIT program reported improvements (i.e., decreases) in mean negative affect, positive emotional reactivity to daily stressors (i.e., smaller decreases in positive affect on stressor days), and negative emotional responsiveness to uplifts (i.e., lower negative affect on days without uplifts). Our discussion considers potential mechanisms underlying these improvements, highlights downstream effects on midlife functioning, and elaborates on how online delivery of the SIT program increases its potential for positive outcomes across adulthood. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03824353.

Turning points in long distance grandparent-grandchild relationships.

This study examines changes in long-distance relationships between grandparents and their adolescent grandchildren by identifying relational turning points and trajectories. Qualitative analysis of data collected from interviews with grandparents yielded 100 unique turning points. Constant comparative analysis revealed eight distinct categories of relational turning points; Spending Time Together, Family Relational Dynamics, Geographic Distance, Lack of Relational Investment, Use of Technology, Relational Investment, Lack of Free Time, and Grandchild Gaining Independence. These varied in the degree to which they positively or negatively impacted relational closeness. Application of the Retrospective Interview Technique (RIT) yielded five distinctive relational trajectories: Decrease in Closeness, Increase in Closeness, Multidimensional Changes in Closeness, Minimal Changes in Closeness, and Consistent Relational Closeness. The results expose the communicative challenges faced by long-distance-grandparents, the diversity of these relationships, and the ways in which grandparenting bonds change over time. Implications for an enriched understanding of grandparenting relationships and practical applications for families are explored.