OBJECTIVES: Many studies have documented the strong associations between well-being and mean levels of both positive and negative affect. A growing number of studies are examining how fluctuations in daily reported emotional experience, known as affect variability, is related to health outcomes. Sleep is a critical correlate of healthy in functioning in late life. This study examines associations between positive and negative affect variability and facets of self-reported sleep behavior among older adults. METHODS: Participants (N = 277) completed a 5 to 6 day ecological momentary assessment. The first survey upon waking asked participants about their sleep the previous night, and participants rated their positive and negative affect every three subsequent hours during waking hours. RESULTS: Regression models indicate that greater variability in daily positive affect is associated with fewer hours of sleep (b = -0.648, p = .04) and greater morning tiredness (b = 0.67, p = .006) even after adjusting for mean levels of affect. Although greater negative affect variability is associated with worse sleep quality (b = -0.77, p = .02) and greater morning tiredness (b = 0.91, p = .004), these associations are no longer significant once mean negative affect is added into the model. CONCLUSION: Findings support theory describing the downside in the variability of positive affect, and suggest that fluctuations in positive affect are related to poor sleep outcomes that have implications for overall health and well-being.

Introduction

Scholars have proposed that empathy is a key feature of strong social ties, but less is known about the role empathy plays when tensions arise.

Objective

We examined whether older adults' empathy was associated with (a) coping strategies for interpersonal tensions, and (b) mood when there were tensions throughout the day. We also explored whether coping strategies explained the potential buffering effect of empathy on older adults' momentary mood.

Methods

Older adults (N = 302) from the Daily Experiences and Well-Being Study completed a baseline survey on empathy and coping strategies. They also completed ecological momentary assessments every 3 hours each day for 5-6 days, which included questions about interpersonal tensions and mood. This study considered tensions with close partners (e.g., family and friends) and with non-close partners (e.g., acquaintances and service providers).

Results

In the face of interpersonal tensions, more empathic older adults reported using more constructive and less destructive coping strategies than less empathic older adults, regardless of their closeness to social partners. Being more empathic also buffered older adults' mood when tensions occurred with close partners, but this buffering effect was not mediated by older adults' general preference for coping strategies.

Conclusion

This study advances our understanding of empathy and interpersonal tensions in later life, with a focus on daily experiences.

OBJECTIVES: To examine whether (a) negative social encounters and physical pain are linked throughout the day, (b) negative mood mediates these associations, and (c) these associations vary by closeness with social partners. METHOD: Adults aged 65+ (n = 313) completed ecological momentary assessments and reported their negative social encounters, physical pain, and mood every 3 hr throughout the day for 5-6 days. RESULTS: Multilevel models revealed that negative social encounters were associated with greater pain at each 3-hr interval and that this association was mediated by negative mood during the same interval. Negative encounters with less close partners were associated with pain, but negative encounters with close partners were not. DISCUSSION: Regulating older adults negative emotions may be crucial to improving their daily pain. Further, interventions focusing on negative encounters with less close partners in daily life may help mitigate older adults experiences of pain throughout the day.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Older adults maintain ties to long-duration social partners, some with whom have regular contact and some with whom have little contact. We asked whether these ties with little contact still offer a sense of connection and security, and buffer the effects of interpersonal stress in daily life. Helping older adults foster these ties may improve their mental health. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Participants (n = 313) aged 65+ completed a baseline interview reporting duration and contact frequency of their closest ties. Then, participants completed ecological momentary assessments every 3 hr for 5-6 days, reporting their social encounters and mood. RESULTS: We classified ties according to duration (10+ years = long vs shorter duration) and frequency of contact (at least once a month = active vs dormant). Throughout the day, participants were more likely to have stressful encounters with long-duration active ties. Encounters with active ties were associated with more positive mood (regardless of duration) and encounters with long-duration dormant ties with more negative mood. Having more active ties buffered effects of interpersonal stress on mood, but more long-duration dormant ties exacerbated these effects. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS: Supporting social integration theory, ties with frequent contact were associated with positive mood. Surprisingly, long-duration ties with infrequent contact exacerbated effects of interpersonal stress on mood. Older adults who lack contact with long-duration social partners may be more sensitive to interpersonal stress. Future interventions might focus on phone or electronic media to increase contact with long-duration social partners.

OBJECTIVES: Social integration (involvement with a diverse array of social ties) has been linked to positive outcomes including better physical health. Research has not investigated whether encounters with diverse social ties enhance individuals daily behaviors. The objectives of this study were to assess whether social ties connect individuals to more diverse daily behaviors, physical activity, and nonsedentary time as well as more positive mood. METHOD: Older adults (aged 65+, n = 313) provided information about their 10 closest social ties. Then they completed ecological momentary assessment (EMA) surveys every 3 hr for 5-6 days where they reported on social encounters and behaviors. They also wore Actical accelerometers to objectively measure physical activity. RESULTS: Multilevel models revealed that encounters with a greater variety of social ties was associated with engaging in a greater variety of behaviors, more objectively measured physical activity, and a smaller proportion of time spent sedentary. Encounters with weak ties/peripheral social ties accounted for this increased activity (compared to being alone or with close friends or family). Moreover, involvement with diverse ties or diverse behaviors was associated with better mood. DISCUSSION: Findings are discussed in terms of social engagement theory, network diversity, and the benefits of weak ties.

OBJECTIVES: Social ties increase in importance in late life and narcissism may be deleterious to these ties. More narcissistic older adults may have more frequent social encounters than less narcissistic people and may prefer weak ties (e.g., acquaintances) over close ones (e.g., family, close friends). They may benefit more from these encounters due to their need for adulation. This study examined how daily social experiences and mood varied by narcissism among older adults. METHODS: Older adults aged 65-92 years (N = 303) completed the Narcissistic Personality Inventory-16 and completed ecological momentary assessments in which they reported number, type, and quality of social contacts and positive and negative mood every 3 h for 5-6 days. RESULTS: In multilevel models, narcissism did not predict the number or pleasantness of social encounters. But more narcissistic older adults reported a greater percentage of stressful discussions with weak ties. With regard to mood, more narcissistic people reported higher negative mood if they had more encounters with weak ties and when discussing something stressful with weak ties. Less narcissistic people reported lowered positive mood after they discussed something stressful with close ties. DISCUSSION: The findings present a nuanced understanding of how the self-centeredness of narcissism may be manifest in late life. More narcissistic people may be less sensitive to close partners (e.g., family, friends) distress, but their mood may be more susceptible to negative social events, especially with weak ties (e.g., acquaintances).

Interpersonal tensions are more strongly associated with well-being than other types of stressors in late life. Yet, there is little understanding of how older adults preferences for different emotion regulation strategies may buffer or exacerbate effects of daily interpersonal tensions on emotional well-being. The present study examined links between interpersonal tensions and daily emotional well-being and whether those links were exacerbated or buffered by general emotion regulation strategy preferences. Participants were from the Daily Experiences and Well-Being Study, which included 293 older adults (aged 65 + years old) who completed baseline interviews, followed by 5-6 days of ecological momentary assessments, and a leave-behind questionnaire regarding emotion regulation strategies. Interpersonal tensions predicted poorer emotional well-being throughout the day and even more so for oldest-old individuals (aged 80 +) compared to young-old individuals. The effects of tensions on emotional well-being were attenuated among adults who generally preferred reappraisal and exacerbated among people who generally preferred avoidance. Reappraisal was particularly important for buffering the effects of tensions among individuals with poorer self-reported health. The findings regarding active coping were more nuanced and varied by age. The current study advances previous research on emotion regulation and social relations by examining older adults and revealing that links between interpersonal tensions, emotion regulation strategies, and emotional well-being vary on the basis of age and self-rated health. This study highlights the importance of considering how personal characteristics may shape later-life well-being in the context of coping with interpersonal tensions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

OBJECTIVES: Activity diversity-an index of active lifestyles that captures variety (number) and evenness (consistency) in activity engagement-is known to support health in adulthood. However, less is known who has higher or lower activity diversity, information that helps identify individuals who may be at greater risk for poor health. This article examined sociodemographic characteristics and Big Five personality traits that may be associated with activity diversity. METHODS: We used 2 independent project samples (nsample1 = 2,699; nsample2 = 301). Sample 1 included U.S. national adults in a wide age range (25-84). Sample 2 included U.S. community-dwelling older adults (age = 65-89). Each study asked about different types of activity engagement using surveys. The activity diversity index was calculated in each sample, using Shannons entropy method. RESULTS: In Sample 1, older adults, women, non-Hispanic White individuals, married/partnered individuals, and those with higher education and fewer functional limitations had higher activity diversity. Additionally, higher conscientiousness, higher extraversion, and lower neuroticism were each associated with higher activity diversity after controlling for sociodemographic factors. Extraversion and neuroticism remained significant in the younger group (age < 65) of Sample 1, but only extraversion was a significant factor associated with activity diversity in the older group (age ≥ 65). The results in the older group were generally replicated in Sample 2, such that higher extraversion in older adults was consistently associated with higher activity diversity independent of the strong correlates of sex, education, and functional limitations. DISCUSSION: Findings were discussed in terms of age-specific associations between sociodemographic and personality characteristics and activity diversity.

OBJECTIVES: Older adults who are physically active report lower levels of stress. Less is known about the links between physical activity and exposure and reactivity to stressful events in daily life. The current study examined within-person associations between actigraphy-assessed daily physical activity and exposure and affective reactivity to naturally occurring interpersonal stressors. METHOD: Older adults (N = 180) from the Daily Experiences and Well-being Study completed ecological momentary assessments (EMAs) every 3 hr for 5-6 days where they reported negative affect throughout the day and interpersonal tensions at the end of the day. They also wore Actical accelerometers to capture physical activity. RESULTS: Older adults reported greater numbers of interpersonal stressors on days when they spent less time being sedentary and engaged in more light physical activity. On days when older adults experienced more interpersonal stressors, they reported higher levels of negative affect, but this association was attenuated when they were more physically active that day. DISCUSSION: Physical activity may bolster older adults capabilities to manage affective responses to interpersonal stressors in a more successful way. These findings underscore the importance of assessing physical activity and stressful events in daily life and have implications for both physical and psychological well-being.