Latinx adolescents' daily family assistance and emotional well-being before and amid the COVID-19 pandemic: A pilot measurement burst study.

This study examined Latinx adolescents' daily family assistance (assistance day, assistance time, language brokering) in relation to their daily affect and investigated whether the associations changed following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Two waves of 14-day daily diary data collected from 13 18-year-old Latinx adolescents (ndays = 284; 77% Mexican American, 77% female) before and amid the pandemic were analyzed using multilevel modeling. Three main findings emerged: (1) assisting the family on a given day was associated with higher levels of same-day positive affect both before and during COVID-19, and with lower levels of negative affect during COVID-19; (2) longer than usual family assistance time was associated with higher levels of same-day positive affect and lower levels of negative affect only during COVID-19; (3) language brokering on a given day was associated with higher levels of same-day positive affect both before and during COVID-19. These findings suggest a positive link between daily family assistance and Latinx youth's daily emotional well-being, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Within-family associations of parent-adolescent relationship quality and adolescent affective well-being.

BACKGROUND: Parent-adolescent relationship quality is theorized to be an important correlate of adolescent affective well-being. Little is known about the within-family processes underlying parent-adolescent relationship quality and affective well-being over a period of months. This three-wave, preregistered study examined within- and between-family associations between parent-adolescent relationship quality (support and conflict) and adolescent well-being (negative and positive affect). In addition, we examined whether the associations differed between mothers and fathers, and for adolescents' affective well-being in different social contexts (at home, at school, with peers). METHODS: The sample consisted of 244 Dutch adolescents (61.5% girls; age range: 12-17 years; mean age = 13.8 years). Random-intercept cross-lagged panel models were used. RESULTS: At the between-family level, higher levels of support and lower levels of conflict were associated with higher levels of positive affect and lower levels of negative affect. At the within-family level, increases in support and decreases in conflict were concurrently associated with increases in positive affect and decreases in negative affect. More parent-adolescent conflict than typical also predicted increases in negative affect, 3 months later, and more negative affect and less positive affect than typical predicted increased conflict, 3 months later. These within-family effects were largely similar for fathers and mothers. Associations for conflict occurred through bidirectional processes: Parent-adolescent conflict shaped and was shaped by adolescents' emotions at home, at school, and with peers. CONCLUSION: Results suggest that parent-adolescent relationship quality (especially conflict) and adolescent affective well-being cofluctuate and predict each other over time within families.

The longitudinal relationship between levels of leisure-time physical activity and positive and negative affect among older foreign-born adults with mild cognitive impairment.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to investigate the longitudinal impact of different levels of leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) participation on positive and negative affect among older foreign-born adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). METHODS: This study used 2012 to 2020 data from the Health and Retirement Study data (n = 1206) that was analyzed using repeated measured multivariate analysis of covariance. RESULTS: The high-level participation LTPA group reported higher positive affect and lower negative affect than the mid and low-level participation groups. The mid-level LTPA group also reported higher positive and lower negative affect than the low-level LTPA group. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides evidence that high levels of LTPA participation contribute to an increase in positive affect and a reduction of negative affect among older foreign-born adults with MCI. The findings of this study will help fill the gap in research on the longitudinal relationship between levels of LTPA participation and positive and negative affect among older foreign-born adults.

The longitudinal relationship between levels of cognitively stimulating leisure activity and positive and negative affect among older adults with MCI.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to investigate the longitudinal relationship between different levels of cognitively stimulating leisure activity (CSLA) participation and different levels of positive and negative affect among older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). METHODS: Using a repeated-measured multivariate analysis of covariance (RM-MANCOVA), this study analyzed the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) data from 2012 to 2020 (N = 5932). RESULTS: The results presented the following. (a) The high CSLA group showed higher positive affect and lower negative affect than the mid and low groups. Also, the mid-CSLA group presented higher positive affect and lower negative affect than the low CSLA group. (b) Both positive and negative affect showed significant differences between years and indicated a continuously declining slope year by year without exceptions. (c) The high CSLA group not only presented higher positive affect and lower negative affect during the period but also solely showed a rebounding feature in the declining slope on both emotions. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study provide valuable support for the design and implementation of CSLA participation programs and clinical guidelines for older adults with MCI. The results highlight the importance of determining the optimal level of CSLA engagement that is required to promote emotional health and cognitive function in this population. Healthcare professionals and clinical practitioners can leverage the insights gained from this study to develop and deliver effective CSLA interventions tailored to the specific needs and capacities of older adults with MCI.

A longitudinal investigation of structural empowerment profiles among healthcare employees.

PURPOSE: Research on structural empowerment has typically adopted a variable-centered perspective, which is not ideal to study the combined effects of structural empowerment components. This person-centered investigation aims to enhance our knowledge about the configurations, or profiles, of healthcare employees' perceptions of the structural empowerment dimensions present in their workplace (opportunity, information, support, and resources). Furthermore, this study considers the replicability and stability of these profiles over a period of 2 years, and their outcomes (perceived quality of care, and positive and negative affect). DESIGN: Participants completed the same self-reported questionnaires twice, 2 years apart. METHODS: A sample of 633 healthcare employees (including a majority of nurses and nursing assistants) participated. Latent transition analyses were performed. RESULTS: Five profiles were identified: Low Empowerment, High Information, Normative, Moderately High Empowerment, and High Empowerment. Membership into the Normative and Moderately High Empowerment profiles demonstrated a high level of stability over time (79.1% to 83.2%). Membership in the other profiles was either moderately stable (43.5% for the High Empowerment profile) or relatively unstable (19.7% to 20.4% for the Low Empowerment and High Information profiles) over time. More desirable outcomes (i.e., higher positive affect and quality of care, and lower negative affect) were observed in the High Empowerment profile. CONCLUSIONS: These results highlight the benefits of high structural empowerment, in line with prior studies suggesting that structural empowerment can act as a strong organizational resource capable of enhancing the functioning of healthcare professionals. These findings additionally demonstrate that profiles characterized by the highest or lowest levels of structural empowerment were less stable over time than those characterized by more moderate levels. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: From an intervention perspective, organizations and managers should pay special attention to employees perceiving low levels of structural empowerment, as they experience the worst outcomes. In addition, they should try to maintain high levels of structural empowerment within the High Empowerment profile, as this profile is associated with the most desirable consequences. Such attention should be fruitful, considering the instability of the High Empowerment and Low Empowerment profiles over time. REGISTRATION: NCT04010773 on ClinicalTrials.gov (4 July, 2019).

Top-down versus bottom-up processes in the formation of positive and negative retrospective affect.

On the basis of two large scale diary studies (n = 2022, n = 762) We study differences in the effects of dispositions and situations in the formation of positive and negative retrospective affect (retrospective-PA and retrospective-NA, respectively), the affect associated with extended (e.g. daily) experiences, as opposed to very short (episodic) experiences. We suggest that the differences between retrospective-PA and retrospective-NA is due to the fact that positive retrospective evaluation (i.e. the evaluation of positive retrospective affect) involves primarily top-down processing, in which people resort to their dispositions in making these evaluations, whereas negative retrospective evaluation (the evaluation of negative retrospective affect) is primarily based on the cumulative affects of individual experiences.

The Use of Rumination and Reappraisal in Adolescents Daily Life: Links to Affect and Emotion Regulation Style.

This study explored the association between temperament-i.e., positive affect (PA) and negative affect (NA)-and emotion regulation (ER), and what momentary factors influence the selection of rumination or reappraisal during adolescents' daily life. The type of social situation in which negative events occurred, the self-rated degrees of discomfort, the types of predominant emotions experienced, and the use of reappraisal and rumination were assessed at 24 different times with an ecological momentary assessment approach given to 71 adolescents. PA, NA, and ER style were evaluated using self-reports. Bivariate Pearson correlations analysis revealed that NA and negative ER style correlated positively with the rumination use whereas PA correlated negatively with the rumination use. Negative ER style moderated the relationship between NA and the frequency with which rumination was used. The moderated function of positive ER style could not be tested due to its lack of association with the rumination use. Adolescents selected rumination more often during family-related events and when experiencing depression-like emotions. No interaction effects were shown between negative ER style and the momentary factors related with the type of social situation and the type of prevailing emotion during negative event. No associations between study variables and reappraisal were found. This study provides a better understanding of ER patterns in adolescence.

Application of the positive and negative affect scale in Chinese children with intellectual disability.

The purpose is to test the applicability of the Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS) to Chinese children with intellectual disabilities. The study was done by distributing the questionnaire to the parents through teachers online. Asked the parents to fill out the scale based on their observations of their children's daily life. The correlation coefficients between each item and the total score of the corresponding dimension ranged from 0.52 to 0.77. Factor analysis confirmed the establishment of the PA-NA two-factor structure of affect. A significant positive correlation existed between the NA and the challenging behavior. The Cronbach's α coefficient and split-half reliability of the PA scale were 0.87 and 0.85, and the Cronbach's α coefficient and split-half reliability of the NA scale were 0.85 and 0.83, respectively, higher than 0.80. It was concluded that PANAS has good applicability in Chinese children with intellectual disabilities.

Effects of a Service-Learning Neuroscience Course on Mood and Intergroup Anxiety.

"Everyday Neuroscience" is an academically based community service (ABCS) course in which college students teach basic neuroscience lab activities to high school students in an under-funded school district, working in small groups on hands-on science activities for 10 weekly sessions. The present study examined the possible psychological and social effects of this experience on the college students, in comparison with peers not enrolled in such a course, by observing and surveying the high school and college students across the 10-week course period. First, the teaching-learning sessions in the course successfully promoted science-focused discussion between the high school and college students for 45 to 60 minutes each week. Second, college students in "Everyday Neuroscience" reported higher positive affect and less intergroup anxiety at the end of the semester compared with the control group of college students who were not in the course. Finally, surveys of the high school students revealed that they found the sessions to be positive social experiences. These findings reveal that a neuroscience-based community engagement course can be both a positive experience for the community partner and a benefit for college students by promoting psychological and social wellness.

Mental health during COVID-19 lockdown in India: Role of psychological capital and internal locus of control.

The Government of India implemented a nationwide lockdown from March 24, 2020 in response to the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak. This study examines the effects of two positive psychological resources on the mental health of Indian citizens during the early days of the lockdown. The effects of psychological capital (PsyCap) and internal locus of control on psychological distress of people via affect balance were tested. Data were collected through an online survey from 667 participants. Psychological distress was assessed using the GHQ-12, and affect balance was assessed as the preponderance of positive over negative affect. Results reveal that psychological capital and internal locus of control were negatively associated with psychological distress. In addition, affect balance mediated the relationship between psychological capital and psychological distress and the relationship between internal locus of control and psychological distress. Thus, both the psychological resources through affect balance acted as buffers protecting people from mental health deterioration during COVID-19 lockdown. However, the direct and indirect effects of psychological capital on psychological distress is stronger than that of internal locus of control. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

The Relation of Mood and Sexual Desire: An Experience Sampling Perspective on the Dual Control Model.

We investigated the effect of fluctuations in negative and positive affect on momentary sexual motivation in a sample of women and men in a steady relationship (n = 133). Sexual motivation was regarded as the aggregate of sexual desire, subjective sexual arousal and openness to sexual contact. Experience sampling methodology was used to collect up to 70 measurements per participant over a period of seven consecutive days of sexual motivation, and negative and positive affect. Using multilevel analysis, we investigated cross-level interactions between affect and trait measures as specified in the dual control model (DCM). This model postulates sexually excitatory and inhibitory mechanisms as relatively independent systems that together can explain individual differences in sexual motivation and behavior. Results implicated that any intensification of feelings, positive or negative, was associated with a momentary increase in sexual motivation for participants more prone to sexual excitation. In the lagged analysis, higher preceding negative affect, measured 1-2 h earlier, forecasted an increase in current sexual motivation for participants more prone to sexual excitation. The lagged analysis included the autoregressive effect or inertia of sexual motivation. Inertia reflects the extent to which sexual motivation lingers and persists at similar levels. Our findings showed that sexual motivation levels persisted less in individuals with higher sexual inhibition proneness due to threat of performance failure. This study demonstrated how experience sampling methodology can be used to extend research on associations between mood and sexual motivation and implicates that DCM factors moderate these associations.

Associations Between Social Media Use, Physical Activity, and Emotional Well-Being From the Midlife in the United States Refresher Daily Diary Study.

Only a small percentage of adults engage in regular physical activity, even though it is widely recommended as beneficial for well-being. Thus, it is essential to identify factors that can promote increased physical activity among adults of all ages. The current study examined the relationship of social media use to physical activity and emotional well-being. The sample is from the Midlife in the United States Refresher daily diary study, which includes 782 adults ages 25-75 years. Results showed that those who used social media less often engaged in more frequent physical activity, which, in turn, led to more positive affect. This relationship was found for midlife and older adults but not younger adults. The findings show the benefits of physical activity for well-being and suggest that social media use may dampen efforts to increase physical activity, especially among middle-aged and older adults.

Exposure to COVID-19-related media content and mental health during the initial outbreak of COVID-19 in China.

Exposure to disaster-related media content is closely related to mental health. This study aimed to explore the patterns of COVID-19-related media exposure and examine whether these patterns were associated with mental health. In total, 917 participants in this study completed the Media Exposure Questionnaire (MEQ), the Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS), and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21). Then latent class analysis and discriminant analysis were conducted to identify the patterns of media exposure. Finally, we tested how mental health was associated with such patterns. Four subtypes of media exposure were identified: the slightly exposed group, the lower-moderately exposed group, the higher-moderately exposed group, and the heavily exposed group. And there were significant differences in individuals' levels of positive and negative affect among different subtypes, but no difference in depression, anxiety, and stress. The results of the current study indicated that more COVID-19-related media exposure was related to increased positive and negative affect. And the current findings would help people to better understand the relationships between media exposure and mental health during a pandemic.

Subjective well-being of children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia: two data collections.

This paper examines the subjective well-being (SWB) of children and adolescents (10‒18 years old) during the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia for two periods (May to July 2020 and March to May 2021), using cross-sectional data from two distinct samples of N = 1,011 (M age = 14.61) and N = 1,640 (M age = 14.86), respectively. Its aims are twofold: (1) to examine the state of SWB among Indonesian children, including its cognitive component (measured using the CW-SWBS), positive affect (PA), and negative affect (NA), and the participants' satisfaction with their contact with friends and how they spend their time; and (2) to compare the evolution of these SWB-related aspects from the first to the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected using Google Forms and convenience and snowball sampling. Results showed that boys displayed significantly higher mean SWB scores than girls, while elementary students displayed significantly higher mean scores for the cognitive component than middle and high school students for both data collection periods. Boys also displayed significantly higher mean PA scores than girls. There were significant school grade differences on PA and NA, depending on the period of study. In the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, children and adolescents displayed lower scores on satisfaction with their contact with friends than in the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic. These results suggest that children and adolescents adapted to the COVID-19 situation during the second year, and this adaptation protected their SWB from further decrease, as defended by the homeostasis theory.

The Relationship Between Media Involvement and Death Anxiety of Self-Quarantined People in the COVID-19 Outbreak in China: The Mediating Roles of Empathy and Sympathy.

The COVID-19 outbreak put health threat to people globally, and self-quarantine was suggested by the Chinese government to contain the outbreak. In self-quarantine, media was the most important way to get information about the outbreak. However, the relationship between media involvement and death anxiety, and the underlying mechanism are poorly understood. We conducted an online survey of 917 participants to assess the media involvement and other potential factors (empathy, sympathy and affect) which might affect death anxiety. Correlation analysis and mediation models were conducted to examine the relationship between media involvement and death anxiety, and the possible mediating roles of empathy, sympathy, and affect. It was found that media involvement was positively associated with death anxiety. Empathy, sympathy, and negative affect played mediating roles between them. However, empathy and sympathy act differently in the association, as empathy could lead to the increase of negative affect, while sympathy did not.

"What's next?" Individual differences in expected repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the future are hardly predictable, and people differ in terms of expected repercussions on their future. This study investigated individual differences in the pandemic's expected repercussions, with particular attention to a Balanced Time Perspective (BTP). BTP reflects an individual profile with optimal temporal orientations, it is positively associated with mental health, and it has proven to promote successful coping with unexpected crises. We analyzed data from 3991 adults from 18 to 85 years old participating in an online survey conducted during the Italian lockdown. Participants provided information on BTP, affective states, financial resources, and expectations for the future. Multi-group path analysis was used to test the hypothesized model and to explore gender differences. Results showed that people with a more BTP had fewer negative beliefs about COVID-19's consequences on their future life. BTP affected expected repercussions also indirectly, via affects and beliefs. Finally, gender emerged as a significant moderator of some of the relationships highlighted. The present study contributes to the understanding of the psychological reactions to the current health emergency by confirming its impact on several life domains besides health, not only in the present but also in the anticipated future.

Conflict monitoring and adaptation to affective stimuli as a function of ageing.

The current study investigated whether preference for positive affect would be observed in the context of a higher order control process with increasing age given the premise of affective prioritization with ageing. The study examined how affect interacted with cognitive control mechanisms across young, middle-aged and older adults. Conflict monitoring and adaptation for affective stimuli was examined with a face-word Stroop task using happy and fearful facial expressions. The participants' task was to detect the emotional expression (Happy or Fear) of the face shown with a distractor word (Happy or Fear) written across the face. Reaction time and accuracy data was analysed to compare adaptation effect and Stroop interference as a function of age, valence and previous trial congruence. The results demonstrated a stronger adaptation effect for negative affect in young adults and for positive affect in middle-aged adults and older adults. These results can be explained in terms of the socio-emotional selectivity theory of affective bias in the elderly and the involvement of attentional control mechanisms. This study empirically demonstrates shifts in affective bias towards positive affect with ageing through the implicit recruitment of cognitive control.

The Religious Meaning System and Resilience in Spouse Caregivers of Cancer Patients: A Moderated Mediation Model of Hope and Affect.

The character of the relationship between religiosity and resilience depends to a large extent on mediation and moderation mechanisms which rely on cognitive and emotional processes. Research conducted within hope theory and the broaden and build theory indicates that hope and affect can mediate and moderate this relationship. The present study explored whether the relationship of the religious meaning system with resilience in spouse caregivers of cancer patients can be mediated by hope and simultaneously moderated by positive and negative affect. A total of 241 spouse caregivers completed a set of questionnaires. The results revealed that hope mediated the relationship between the religious meaning system and resilience. Furthermore, positive affect but not negative affect moderated the indirect effect of the religious meaning system to resilience through hope.

Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS): psychometric properties of the online Spanish version in a clinical sample with emotional disorders.

BACKGROUND: The Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) is the most widely and frequently used scale to assess positive and negative affect. The PANAS has been validated in several languages, and it has shown excellent psychometric properties in the general population and some clinical samples, such as forensic samples, substance users, and adult women with fibromyalgia. Nevertheless, the psychometric properties of the scale have not yet been examined in clinical samples with anxiety, depressive, and adjustment disorders. In addition, the proliferation of Internet-based treatments has led to the development of a wide range of assessments conducted online with digital versions of pen and paper self-report questionnaires. However, no validations have been carried out to analyze the psychometric properties of the online version of the PANAS. The present study investigates the psychometric properties of the online Spanish version of the PANAS in a clinical sample of individuals with emotional disorders. METHODS: The sample was composed of 595 Spanish adult volunteers with a diagnosis of depressive disorder (n = 237), anxiety disorder (n = 284), or adjustment disorder (n = 74). Factor structure, construct validity, internal consistency, and sensitivity to change were analyzed. RESULTS: Confirmatory factor analysis yielded a latent structure of two independent factors, consistent with previous validations of the instrument. The analyses showed adequate convergent and discriminant validity, good internal consistency as well as sensitivity to change. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the results obtained in this study show that the online version of the PANAS has adequate psychometric properties for the assessment of positive and negative affect in a Spanish clinical population.

How does the peak-end rule smell? Tracing hedonic experience with odours.

The peak-end rule predicts that retrospective evaluations of affective events heavily depend on their most intense and last moment and imply duration neglect. It was originally proposed for negative experiences such as painful medical procedures. It is unclear, however, to what degree it also applies to positive experiences. Previously, rigorous comparisons between the two domains were limited due to the use of qualitatively different stimuli. Hence, it is not clear if the peak-end rule holds for short positive and negative experiences alike. To address these questions in a genuinely emotional domain, we conducted two experiments (n = 48 each) in which we used odours as stimuli. Participants repeatedly evaluated continuous odour sequences delivered into their noses via an olfactometer. The sequences differed in valence (positive vs. negative), length (36 vs. 72 s), and trajectory (increasing, decreasing, U-shaped, and inverse U-shaped). Results provide evidence for the peak-end rule for both positive and negative experiences alike. Results further show an overweighting of intense negative experiences for sequences that contain both pleasant and unpleasant episodes but provide little evidence for an effect of the trajectory manipulation.