Emotional responses to a global stressor: Average patterns and individual differences.

Autor: Willroth EC; Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA., Smith AM; University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada., Graham EK; Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA., Mroczek DK; Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA., Shallcross AJ; New York University Langone, New York, NY, USA., Ford BQ; University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: European journal of personality [Eur J Pers] 2022 May 12; Vol. 37 (4), pp. 418-434. Date of Electronic Publication: 2022 May 12 (Print Publication: 2023).
DOI: 10.1177/08902070221094448
Abstrakt: Major stressors often challenge emotional well-being-increasing negative emotions and decreasing positive emotions. But how long do these emotional hits last? Prior theory and research contain conflicting views. Some research suggests that most individuals' emotional well-being will return to, or even surpass, baseline levels relatively quickly. Others have challenged this view, arguing that this type of resilient response is uncommon. The present research provides a strong test of resilience theory by examining emotional trajectories over the first 6 months of the COVID-19 pandemic. In two pre-registered longitudinal studies (total N =1147), we examined average emotional trajectories and predictors of individual differences in emotional trajectories across 13 waves of data from February through September 2020. The pandemic had immediate detrimental effects on average emotional well-being. Across the next 6 months, average negative emotions returned to baseline levels with the greatest improvements occurring almost immediately. Yet, positive emotions remained depleted relative to baseline levels, illustrating the limits of typical resilience. Individuals differed substantially around these average emotional trajectories and these individual differences were predicted by socio-demographic characteristics and stressor exposure. We discuss theoretical implications of these findings that we hope will contribute to more nuanced approaches to studying, understanding, and improving emotional well-being following major stressors.
Competing Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
(© The Author(s) 2022.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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