A 5-Year Longitudinal Study on Mood Variability Across Adolescence Using Daily Diaries

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Developmental Psychology
• Adolescent Psychology

Background:

• Understanding emotional development during adolescence is crucial.
• Mood variability, the fluctuation of daily emotions, is an important indicator of emotional regulation.
• Previous research has not fully elucidated the developmental trajectory of mood variability throughout adolescence.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the developmental trends of mood variability in adolescents.
• To examine changes in happiness, anger, sadness, and anxiety variability from early to late adolescence.
• To explore potential sex differences in the development of mood variability.

Main Methods:

• Longitudinal study of 474 Dutch adolescents (ages 13-18).
• Internet diary entries recorded daily happiness, anger, sadness, and anxiety for 5 days, 3 times per year over 5 years.
• Mood variability calculated as the mean absolute difference between consecutive daily mood scores.

Main Results:

• Happiness, anger, and sadness variability consistently decreased across adolescence.
• Anxiety variability exhibited an initial increase, followed by a decrease, and a subsequent rise in late adolescence.
• While females reported higher happiness and sadness variability, developmental trajectories were similar for both sexes.

Conclusions:

• Adolescence is characterized by a general trend towards more stable happiness, anger, and sadness.
• Anxiety variability follows a distinct developmental path, suggesting unique regulatory processes.
• Findings contribute to understanding normative emotional development and inform clinical considerations for adolescent mental health.