Age Differences Among Within-Person Indicators of Stress and Depressive Affect

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Gerontology
• Public Health

Background:

• Stress and depressive affect are significant public health concerns.
• Understanding age-related differences in stress response is crucial for targeted interventions.
• Longitudinal studies are essential for examining within-person processes over time.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate age differences in the within-person relationships among perceived stress (PS), perceived stress reactivity (PSR), and depressive affect (DA).
• To explore potential mechanisms linking PS and DA across different adult age groups.
• To identify age-specific patterns in stress-related psychological outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Longitudinal moderated mediation model using data from the Notre Dame Study of Health & Wellbeing (N=572).
• Multilevel models with yearly assessments nested within individuals were employed.
• Examined within-person fluctuations in PS, PSR, and DA over two to four waves.

Main Results:

• Midlife adults exhibited an exacerbated effect of within-person PSR fluctuations on the PS-DA relationship (γ41 = -.004, p < .01).
• Perceived stress reactivity (PSR) significantly mediated the relationship between perceived stress (PS) and depressive affect (DA).
• Older adults demonstrated effective emotion regulation, mitigating the impact of sustained PS and PSR.

Conclusions:

• Age significantly moderates the within-person relationship between stress, stress reactivity, and depressive affect.
• Midlife adults experiencing higher PSR may particularly benefit from stress management and depressive affect monitoring.
• Older adults' successful emotion regulation highlights adaptive coping mechanisms relevant to aging well.