Resource-Building Processes Across Life Domains: Father-Child Interactions as Starting Points for Resource Caravans.

In two studies, we examined preconditions of resource-building processes between family and work. Focusing on positive father-child interactions, we investigated positive mood states as links between the two life domains. Fathers employed in information technology (N 1 = 59) and the retail sector (N 2 = 75) participated in micro-longitudinal studies, both for eight consecutive workdays. Study 1 revealed that fathers with more positive interactions with a child also reported more positive mood states and fathers with more positive mood states perceived more social resources from their supervisor during the week. The indirect effect was small but significant. In Study 2, multilevel structural-equation models did not find indirect effects at the within-person level but did show that positive father-child interactions after work were related to fathers' positive mood states before going to bed and positive mood in the morning predicted perceived social resources from supervisors (but not from coworkers) in the forenoon. There were also positive effects of perceived social resources from supervisors on positive mood states, after work. But these did not translate into an increase in positive father-child interactions, in the evening. Hence, only single elements were supported but not the overall resource caravan. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10902-022-00523-4.

Physicians' Speech Complexity and Interrupting Behavior in Pediatric Consultations.

Pediatricians' communication behavior affects a variety of outcomes in both children and their parents. This study analyzes how speech complexity and interruptions as indicators of accommodative behaviors relate to parental recall of medical information and to their satisfaction with the medical encounter. We recruited 19 pediatricians and 68 parents at pediatric inpatient and outpatient consultations in two Swiss clinics. All medical interactions were videotaped and transcripts were analyzed to assess pediatricians' speech complexity and interrupting behavior was coded from the videos. At the end of the encounter, parents rated their satisfaction with the medical encounter and were probed regarding their recall of medical information. Our results show recall of medical information to be unrelated to pediatricians' speech complexity and negatively associated with their interrupting behavior for parents who report low positive mood. We also found less educated parents to report lower satisfaction when pediatricians employed more complex language. Furthermore, parental satisfaction was negatively associated with pediatricians' interrupting behavior, especially when displayed by male pediatricians. Overall, these findings suggest that pediatricians' speech complexity and interruptions indicate a nonaccommodative stance reducing advantageous parent outcomes.

Positive and Negative Post Performance-Related Thoughts Predict Daily Cortisol Output in University Music Students.

Psychophysiological research on music performance has focused on musicians' short-term affective, cognitive, and physiological responses. Much less attention has been devoted to the investigation of musicians' psychophysiological activity beyond the performance situation. Musicians report having both positive and negative performance-related thoughts (e.g., "My concert was good" and "I made a lot of mistakes") for days following performances. The potential physiological implications of this post-performance cognitive processing are largely unknown. Salivary cortisol (sC) and salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) are markers of the activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and the sympathoadrenal medullary (SAM) system, respectively. The goal of the present study was to investigate whether self-reported positive and negative post performance-related thoughts predict the daily sC output and the daily sAA activity at the between- and within-person levels during a 2-day period following a solo music performance. Seventy-two university music students collected saliva samples six times per day and reported their positive and negative performance-related thoughts for 2 days after a solo performance. We tested between-person and within-person components of positive and negative post performance-related thoughts as predictors of the diurnal area under the curve with respect to ground (AUCg) for sC and sAA while adjusting for relevant person-level and day-level variables. Negative post performance-related thoughts were positively associated with sC AUCg both at the between- and within-person levels, whereas positive post performance-related thoughts were negatively associated with sC AUCg at the between-person level. Post performance-related thoughts did not significantly predict sAA AUCg. These findings provide evidence for a relationship between affectively valenced cognitive processing of a recent music performance and the activity of the HPA axis. Although the directionality of this relationship remains to be established more conclusively, the study makes a significant contribution to the literature on the prolonged psychophysiological effects of music performance situations and more broadly of social-evaluative stressors. Integrating the topic of post-performance cognitive processing and its optimal management into performance training programs would likely have positive effects on music students.

The mediating role of mood in the relationship between perseverative cognition, sleep and subjective health complaints in music students.

OBJECTIVE: Subjective health complaints (SHC) are frequent in musicians. These complaints may be particularly distressing in this population because they are performance relevant. This paper aims at testing a model positing that (a) perseverative cognition (PC) predicts sleep duration/quality, (b) sleep duration/quality predicts SHC and (c) mood is a mediator of these associations. DESIGN: Participants were 72 music students (mean age (SD): 22.7 (3.0) years), and the assessment period consisted of seven consecutive days, with a solo performance on the fifth day. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Self-reported total sleep time (TST) and sleep quality were assessed 30 min after wake-up, and objective TST/sleep quality were assessed with an actigraphy watch. PC and mood were measured five times a day. Daily SHC were assessed at 9 p.m. RESULTS: PC did not significantly predict sleep duration/quality. Self-reported and objective TST and sleep quality were all significantly associated with SHC. Mood played a mediating role in each of these relationships with the exception of objective sleep quality. CONCLUSION: The tested model on the association among PC, sleep and SHC and the mediating role of mood received partial support, highlighting the importance of sleep and mood in the emergence of SHC among university music students.

Physicians' Interactions with Peers: Empathic Accuracy during Shift Handovers on Intensive-Care Units.

BACKGROUND: We investigated how accurately physicians judge colleagues' states during shift handovers on intensive-care units, the role of physician characteristics, and how accuracy is related to handover partners' satisfaction. METHODS: Using mobile phones, we assessed momentary judgements during N = 272 shift handovers by 36 physicians of five Swiss clinics. Physicians rated their own and their partner's affective states. We calculated the covariation of the perceiver's judgements of the partner's affect with the partner's self-reported affect and the perceiver's own self-reported affect. We then examined the moderation of these covariations by physicians' roles and experience. RESULTS: Overall, resident physicians were moderately successful in taking their counterparts' perspective: Perceiver's ratings of partner's affect and the latter's self-ratings were significantly related. Associations between perceivers' ratings of their own and their partner's affect were also evident. None of the effects varied as a function of physicians' roles. There was an unexpected effect of job experience; physicians with more experience were more likely to project their own affect into the rating of partner's affect. Physicians' accuracy in judging the partner's tense arousal was related to the partner's satisfaction with the social interaction. This effect may have been mainly driven by instances in which low tension was accurately judged, however.

Prolonged performance-related neuroendocrine activation and perseverative cognition in low- and high-anxious university music students.

Music performances are social-evaluative situations that can elicit marked short-term neuroendocrine activation and anxious thoughts especially in musicians suffering from music performance anxiety (MPA). The temporal patterns of neuroendocrine activity and concert-related worry and rumination (perseverative cognition, PC) days before and after a concert in low- and high-anxious musicians are unknown. The first goal of the present study was to investigate the prolonged effects of a solo music performance and the effects of trait MPA on salivary cortisol (sC), alpha-amylase (sAA), and concert-related PC. The second goal was to investigate whether concert-related PC is associated with neuroendocrine activity and mediates the effects of measurement day and trait MPA on neuroendocrine responses. Seventy-two university music students collected saliva samples and reported their PC for seven consecutive days. On the fifth day, they performed solo. Measurement day and trait MPA were tested as main predictors of the diurnal area under the curve with respect to ground (sC AUCg, sAA AUCg), awakening responses, and PC. SC AUCg, sAA AUCg, and concert-related PC were highest on concert day. SC AUCg decreased only partially on post-concert days. SAA AUCg remained elevated on the first post-concert day among students with moderate to very high trait MPA. Throughout the assessment period, trait MPA was associated with smaller sC AUCg and higher concert-related PC. Concert-related PC showed significant positive associations with sC AUCg and sAA AUCg but did not mediate the effects of measurement day and trait MPA on these measures. These findings suggest that solo music performances have prolonged neuroendocrine effects and that trait MPA is an important factor having specific effects on university music students' hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, autonomic nervous system, and cognitive activity.

Pediatric Consultations: Negative-Word Use and Parent Satisfaction.

Objective: This study investigates the impact of pediatricians' negative-word use on parents' affective quality and satisfaction judgements during the medical encounter. Methods: In total, 68 medical consultations were videotaped and pediatricians' communication transcribed for analysis. We used the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count application to measure the amount of negative words used by the pediatrician. Parents rated their momentary mood as well as their satisfaction at the end of the encounter. Results: Pediatricians' negative-word use was negatively linked to parents' affect quality, but not with the satisfaction ratings after the medical visit. Although there was no direct effect, our results revealed an indirect effect of pediatricians' negative-word use on parents' satisfaction via parents' mood. Conclusions: The results point to the negative impact that words used during the medical encounter can have on individuals in need of care. Consequently, this is relevant for clinical training and practice.

Pediatricians' affective communication behavior attenuates parents' stress response during the medical interview.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether the medical interview in the pediatric context generates a stressful response in parents in form of heightened cortisol activity, and whether pediatricians' empathetic communication is able to attenuate this stress response. METHODS: 68 parents were recruited at pediatric out-patient and in-patient consultations. Salivary samples were collected between 60 and 30min prior to the consultation, shortly before the consultation, 20min as well as 45min after the consultation. 19 pediatricians participated in the study and effectuated the medical visit as usual. We videotaped the consultations and coded pediatricians' affective communication using the RIAS and the Four Habits Coding Scheme. RESULTS: Parents' cortisol increased during the medical visit with a peak at 20min after the medical encounter. Furthermore, multilevel analysis revealed a lesser increase in parents' cortisol response associated with pediatricians' levels in supportive communication behaviors. CONCLUSION: As indicated by their humoral stress responses, the medical encounter was stressful for the parents. Pediatricians' affective communication modulated this stress response in that more supportive communication was related to smaller cortisol increases. PRACTICE IMPLICATION: Pediatricians' affective communication behavior during the medical visit can alleviate parents' distress and anxiety, representing a source of social and emotional support.

Correspondence between retrospective and momentary ratings of positive and negative affect in old age: findings from a one-year measurement burst design.

OBJECTIVES AND METHOD: Using 5 measurement bursts spanning 1 year, this study examined correspondences between retrospective end-of-year ratings and momentary ratings of positive affect (PA) and negative affect (NA) in 53 older adult participants from the Berlin Aging Study. RESULTS: Average momentary assessments were moderately positively correlated with retrospective ratings of PA and NA. Hierarchical regression analyses further indicate that mean momentary PA best predicted retrospective PA over and above peak or recent momentary PA, whereas no such pattern emerged for NA. No evidence for age differences in these patterns was found. DISCUSSION: Our discussion focuses on the implications of affective memory biases for examining affective experiences as they occur in peoples' daily lives and points to implications concerning methods and theory development.

Neuroticism and conscientiousness are associated with cortisol diurnal profiles in adults--role of positive and negative affect.

A substantial body of research on the pathophysiology of negative health outcomes has focused on dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Maladaptive and adaptive personality features have been discussed to be associated with health outcomes. In the current study, we investigated the association of neuroticism (N) and conscientiousness (C) with diurnal cortisol levels in 102 working parents (M age=37 years; 50% female). Further, we examined the impact of daily positive and negative affect on this association. During a 6-day time-sampling phase, cortisol was measured at awakening and after that within intervals of 3h. We found a positive association of N with cortisol levels throughout the measurement period, but no association of C with daily cortisol. When accounting for daily positive and negative affect, individuals with high scores on C displayed reductions in daily cortisol concentrations that were driven by positive affect compared to individuals with low C scores. No such association emerged for N. Our findings might further elucidate the role of personality in HPA axis regulation and improve our understanding of the association of endocrine states and health outcomes.

Daily activities and survival at older ages.

OBJECTIVE: This study tested the hypothesis that time spent on activities that are considered regenerative (e.g., resting), productive (e.g., housework), and consumptive (e.g., meeting friends) is associated with survival in persons aged 70 and older. METHODS: An observational study with mortality follow-ups was carried out in the former West Berlin, Germany. The sample was stratified by age and sex, and it consisted of 473 persons aged 70 to 103 years. Study participants lived in the community as well as in institutions. Activity measures were assessed from 1990 to 1993 by structured interviews in the participants' homes. Cox regression was used to model survival from time of interview. The main outcome measure was survival on August 1, 2003. RESULTS: Consumptive activities were related to survival (relative risk = 0.89, 95% confidence interval 0.83 to 0.97), after several confounding factors were controlled for. The effect diminished over time. DISCUSSION: Results support the idea that daily activities are linked to survival via a psychosocial pathway that might involve perceived quality of life. Consumptive activities (e.g., meeting friends, reading a novel) may contribute considerably to maintaining health and achieving longevity because they are performed on a daily basis and their effects may accumulate over the life course.

Linking possible selves and behavior: do domain-specific hopes and fears translate into daily activities in very old age?

We used time-sampling information from a subsample of the Berlin Aging Study (N=83; M=81.1 years) to investigate the link between possible selves in three domains (health, everyday cognition, and social relations) and performance of daily activities. In the domains of health and social relations, hoped-for selves were associated with higher probabilities of performing daily activities in those domains. There were no associations in the cognitive domain or between feared selves and activities. Individuals who engaged in hope-related activities reported concurrent higher positive affect and subsequently had a higher probability of survival over a 10-year period. These findings speak to important associations between beliefs about possible selves and activities in advanced old age and the value of considering associations between microlevel and macrolevel indicators of successful aging.

Daily goal pursuits predict cortisol secretion and mood states in employed parents with preschool children.

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the relationship between the personal relevance of daily activities with respect to self-set work and family goals and affective and neuroendocrine stress reactions. METHODS: A total of 53 dual-earner couples with preschool children participated in a 1-week interval-sampling study. At the beginning, participants reported their personal work and family goals. During the time-sampling phase, both partners reported the goal relevance of their daily activities, current mood, and provided saliva samples for cortisol estimation every 3 hours. RESULTS: Hierarchical linear models show that the performance of goal-furthering activities is associated with more positive mood and decreased secretion of cortisol. The relationship between the goal relevance of daily activities and cortisol was partially mediated by affect quality. CONCLUSIONS: These findings speak to a person-centered approach in research on stress by showing that knowledge of individual goals is important for an understanding of affective and neuroendocrine stress reactions in employed parents with preschool children.

Social participation and survival at older ages: is the effect driven by activity content or context?

This study tested the hypothesis that time spent on social activities (i.e., in direct interaction with others) and time spent in social contexts (i.e., while others are present) is associated with survival in persons aged 70 and older. An observational study with mortality follow-ups was carried out in the former West Berlin, Germany (Berlin Aging Study). The sample was stratified by age and sex, and consisted of 473 persons aged 70 to 103 years. Social activity and social context measures were assessed in 1990-1993 by structured interviews in the participants' homes. Cox regression was used to model survival from time of interview. The main outcome measure was survival on 1 August 2003. Time spent on social activities was revealed as a predictor of survival only in analyses that did not control for confounding factors. In contrast, time spent in context "with friends" was significantly related to increased survival (relative risk=0.76, 95% confidence interval 0.59 to 0.99) even after several confounding factors were controlled for. This study suggests that time spent with friends affords a survival advantage among older adults, above and beyond the effects of other leisure activities. Future research on social participation and survival may benefit from an examination of the interaction between activity content and social context.

Women, work, and well-being 1950-2000: a review and methodological critique.

In this research synthesis, we summarize 161 measures of the effects of women's employment on well being reported between 1950 and 2000. Variations in the conceptualization and measurement of employment and health outcomes and the difficulty in distinguishing social selection from social causation limit the inferences that can be drawn from the evidence. Therefore, we distinguish two types of studies. Longitudinal studies measuring relevant covariates at the first measurement occasion and statistically controlling them in multivariate analyses providing effect-size information are classified as Type II studies. The remaining studies are classified as Type I studies. The main findings were that (1) results from methodologically sound Type II studies confirm the cross-sectional finding that paid employment has no adverse effects on women; (2) the outcome groups psychological distress, subjective health, cardiovascular risks and disease, and mortality do not converge completely.