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Objective: The current study examined race differences in how childhood socioeconomic status (SES) predicted midlife inflammation. It also tested psychological resources (purpose in life, optimism, and conscientiousness) as moderators of the association between childhood SES and inflammation among Black and White adults. Method: Data came from the biomarker subsamples of the Midlife in the United States Core and Refresher studies (n = 1,578 White and n = 395 Black participants). Childhood SES was operationalized as a composite of parental education, perceived financial status, and welfare status. Outcomes included circulating IL-6 and CRP. Results: Childhood SES did not predict IL-6 or CRP among Black or White adults in fully adjusted models. Among Black adults with low optimism, lower childhood SES predicted higher IL-6 and CRP. Among Black adults with low purpose in life, lower childhood SES predicted higher CRP (but not IL-6). Conscientiousness did not moderate childhood SES–inflammation associations among Black adults. Among White adults with low conscientiousness or low optimism, lower childhood SES predicted higher IL-6 (but not CRP). Purpose in life did not moderate associations among White adults. Effect sizes were small (≤1% variance explained) and comparable to effects of clinical risk factors in this sample (e.g., age, chronic conditions). Conclusions: Race differences in the childhood SES and inflammation association were not apparent. Childhood SES was linked to inflammation more strongly among those with fewer psychological resources across both racial groups. Psychological resources may be important moderators of inflammation in the context of early life SES disadvantage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Foundational theoretical perspectives suggest that socioeconomic disadvantage (SED) increases an individual's risk of being exposed to unfair treatment or discrimination. However, little empirical attention has been given to the role of perceived discrimination in the SED-health gradient. Addressing this knowledge gap, the current study examined the mediating role of discrimination in the longitudinal association between SED and self-rated health. Method: Participants in the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study were followed over 3 waves covering a 17- to 19-year period (N = 6,286; 53% female; 91% White; mean age at baseline = 47 years, SD = 13). SED was assessed from education, occupational prestige, income, and assets; self-rated health was measured at baseline and follow-up assessments. Two measures of discrimination--perceived inequality in work and everyday discrimination--were considered as mediators. Results: Both measures of discrimination emerged as important explanatory variables in the link between SED and health. SED at the baseline assessment was associated with changes in self-rated health over the 17- to 19-year period (B = -.15, p < .001). Measures of discrimination partially mediated this longitudinal association, explaining 22% of the total effect. Exposure to discrimination and its health consequences were also more pronounced at younger ages. Conclusion: Additional research is needed to replicate the findings of this study using objective health measures and to examine possible interventions. Challenging the ideologies and practices that underlie social class-related discrimination, or mitigating its harmful consequences, will both be important approaches to consider. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To examine associations between glucoregulation and 3 categories of psychological resources: hedonic well-being (i.e., life satisfaction, positive affect), eudaimonic well-being (i.e., personal growth, purpose in life, ikigai), and interdependent well-being (i.e., gratitude, peaceful disengagement, adjustment) among Japanese adults. The question is important given increases in rates of type 2 diabetes in Japan in recent years, combined with the fact that most prior studies linking psychological resources to better physical health have utilized Western samples. Method: Data came from the Midlife in Japan Study involving randomly selected participants from the Tokyo metropolitan area, a subsample of whom completed biological data collection (N = 382; 56.0% female; M(SD)age = 55.5(14.0) years). Glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) was the outcome. Models adjusted for age, gender, educational attainment, smoking, alcohol, chronic conditions, body mass index (BMI), use of antidiabetic medication, and negative affect. Results: Purpose in life (β = -.104, p = .021) was associated with lower HbA1c, and peaceful disengagement (β = .129, p = .003) was associated with higher HbA1c in fully adjusted models. Comparable to the effects of BMI, a 1 standard deviation change in well-being was associated with a .1% change in HbA1c. Conclusions: Associations among psychological resources and glucoregulation were mixed. Healthy glucoregulation was evident among Japanese adults with higher levels of purpose in life and lower levels of peaceful disengagement, thereby extending prior research from the United States. The results emphasize the need for considering sociocultural contexts in which psychological resources are experienced in order to understand linkages to physical health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study examined cancer survivors' experience of and responses to challenges and Stressors associated with everyday living. The impact of daily Stressors on quality of life concerns and Cortisol patterns was also investigated. Method: Participants included 111 cancer survivors who participated in a national telephone diary study of daily experiences (National Study of Daily Experiences). Their responses were compared with those of 111 sociodemographically matched participants with no cancer history using a multilevel modeling approach. Over an 8-day period, participants completed a daily inventory of the occurrence and impact of stressful events, affect, and physical symptoms. Salivary Cortisol was sampled four times per day, and indices of awakening response (cortisol awakening response), diurnal slope, and overall output (area under the curve) were examined. Results: Cancer survivors experienced similar numbers and types of stressful events as the comparison group. Although appraisals were largely comparable, cancer survivors showed a modest tendency to perceive Stressors as more severe and disruptive, particularly those involving interpersonal tensions. The occurrence of Stressors was associated with increased negative affect, decreased positive affect, and increased physical symptoms, but little change in cortisol. Relative to the comparison group, cancer survivors showed less pronounced changes in positive affect and cortisol output when Stressors occurred, but a greater increase in negative affect in response to interpersonal conflicts. Conclusion: Findings indicate that cancer survivors show a resilient ability to respond to day-to-day Stressors and challenges. However, daily Stressors can have a significant impact on survivors' mood and physical symptoms and therefore may be an important intervention target. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate whether psychosocial factors (i.e., depression, anxiety, and well-being) moderated educational gradients in interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels using data from the Survey of Midlife Development in the U.S. (MIDUS). The influences of educational attainment and psychosocial factors on IL-6 in middle aged and older adults were also examined. Design: Telephone interviews and mall surveys were utilized to collect educational attainment and psychosocial information from respondents (N = 1028). Respondents also participated in an overnight clinic visit, during which health information and a fasting blood sample were obtained. Main Outcome Measures: Serum levels of IL-6. Results: Greater educational attainment predicted lower levels of IL-6 independent of age and gender, although this effect was attenuated after taking health behaviors, body mass index, waist-to-hip ratio, and chronic illnesses into account. Psychological well-being interacted with education to predict IL-6, such that for those with less education, higher well-being was associated with lower levels of IL-6. Conclusion: The findings indicate a strong association between education and inflammation, which can be further moderated by psychosocial factors. The health benefits associated with psychological well-being were particularly evident for individuals with low educational attainment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The current study examined whether cancer survivors showed impairment, resilience, or growth responses relative to a sociodemographically matched sample in four domains: mental health and mood, psychological well-being, social well-being, and spirituality. The impact of aging on psychosocial adjustment was also investigated. Design: Participants were 398 cancer survivors who were participants in the MIDUS survey (Midlife in the United States) and 796 matched respondents with no cancer history. Psychosocial assessments were completed in 1995-1996 and 2004-2006. Main Outcome Measures: Outcomes including self-report measures of mental health and mood, psychological well-being, social well-being, and spirituality. Results: Findings indicated that cancer survivors demonstrated impairment relative to the comparison group in mental health, mood, and some aspects of psychological well-being. Longitudinal analyses spanning pre- and postdiagnosis clarified that while mental health declined after a cancer diagnosis, poorer functioning in other domains existed prior to diagnosis. However, survivors exhibited resilient social well-being, spirituality, and personal growth. Moreover, age appeared to confer resiliency; older survivors were more likely than younger adults to show psychosocial functioning equivalent to their peers. Conclusion: While younger survivors may be at risk for disturbances in mental health and mood, cancer survivors show resilience in other important domains of psychosocial adjustment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study investigated whether different psychosocial factors predicted levels of glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) over time, after adjusting for covariates and baseline level of HbA1c. Design: These questions were investigated with a longitudinal sample (N = 97, age = 61-91) of older women without diabetes. HbA1c levels and psychosocial measures were obtained at baseline and 2-year follow-up. Main Outcome Measures: Coping strategies, positive affect, medical history, and health behaviors were assessed using self-administered questionnaires. HbA1c were obtained during the respondents' overnight stay at the General Clinical Research Center (GCRC) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Results and Conclusion: Regression analyses showed that higher levels of problem-focused coping, venting, and positive affect predicted lower levels of HbA1c, after controlling for baseline HbA1c and sociodemographic and health factors. Furthermore, positive affect was found to moderate the effects of problem-focused coping (active, instrumental social support, suppressing competing activities). The pattern of interaction showed that the adverse effects of low problem-focused coping on cross-time changes in HbA1c were amplified among those who also had low levels of positive affect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study tested the hypothesis that psychological well-being would predict lower plasma levels of inflammatory factors in aging women. Design: One hundred thirty-five women ages 61-91 years (M = 74.5 years) participated in this study. After completing self-administered questionnaires in their homes, participants stayed overnight at the General Clinical Research Center (GCRC) at the University of Wisconsin--Madison. Blood samples for cytokine analyses were obtained in participants' homes after the GCRC visit. Main Outcome Measures: Psychological well-being and ill-being, history of health problems, and health behaviors were assessed via self-administered questionnaires. Detailed medical history and concurrent health measures were obtained during the GCRC stay. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays were used to determine interleukin-6 (IL-6) and soluble IL-6 receptor (sIL-6R) concentrations in plasma. Results and Conclusion: Regression analyses showed that plasma IL-6 levels were lower in women scoring higher on positive relationships, whereas sIL-6R levels were lower in women scoring higher on purpose in life, even after a variety of sociodemographic and health factors were controlled. These outcomes, combined with the absence of significant links with other measures of well-being and ill-being, suggest selective patterns of association between later life inflammatory processes and psychological factors, particularly those focused on positive ties with others and purposeful engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the influence of personality on adjustment to a particular life transition, community relocation. Participants were 285 women (average age = 69.5) who were interviewed once before they moved, and then multiple times after the move. Within the context of this multiwave design, personality traits were used to predict changes in depressive symptoms (DS) and self-esteem (SE) across the move. Neuroticism and Openness to Experience predicted increases in DS over time, whereas Extraversion and Openness predicted increases in SE. Stressful reactions to the move and sense of mastery about the move partially mediated these effects. The study documents the dynamic influence of personality on positive and negative aspect of adjustment and investigates differing routes through which such effects occur. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because measures of personality and well-being share common affective underpinnings and items, previously reported links between these domains may be tautological. To explicate the connections between personality and well-being, 2 samples of midlife adults (N = 215 and N = 139) completed measures of personality (NEO Five-Factor Inventory; P. T. Costa & R. R. McCrae, 1992) and psychological well-being (C. D. Ryff's, 1989b, Psychological Well-Being [PWB] inventory) that were maximally distinct, both conceptually and methodologically. Analyses included additional controls for source overlap, common affective underpinnings, and shared item content. Distinctive personality correlates were observed for the 6 PWB outcomes: self-acceptance, environmental mastery, and purpose in life were linked with Neuroticism (N) Extraversion (E) and Conscientiousness (C); personal growth was linked with Openness to Experience (O) and E; positive relations with others was linked with Agreeableness (A) and E; autonomy was linked with N. Psychological wellness and its personality correlates may be more complex than prior studies suggest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A theoretical model of psychological well-being that encompasses 6 distinct dimensions of wellness (Autonomy, Environmental Mastery, Personal Growth, Positive Relations With Others, Purpose in Life, Self-Acceptance) was tested with data from a nationally representative sample of adults (N = 1,108), aged 25 and older, who participated in telephone interviews. Confirmatory factor analyses provided support for the proposed 6-factor model, with a single second-order super factor. The model was superior in fit over single-factor and other artifactual models. Age and sex differences on the various well-being dimensions replicated prior findings. Comparisons with other frequently used indicators (positive and negative affect, life satisfaction) demonstrated that the latter neglect key aspects of positive functioning emphasized in theories of health and well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objective of this study was to examine whether experiences of discrimination have increased during the pandemic, particularly among negatively stigmatized racial/ethnic groups, and whether such experiences have exacerbated feelings of social isolation. Method: Discrimination and social isolation were assessed before and during the pandemic in a sample of 263 Black and White young adults attending a large, predominantly White 4-year research university in the Southeastern region of the United States (52% Black, 48% White, 53% female, mean age = 19.2). Results: Increases in discrimination were evident among Black but not White participants. Black participants also reported greater increases in social isolation than White participants, and changes in discrimination partially mediated the emergent racial disparity in social isolation. Conclusions: Findings are consistent with theoretical perspectives on discrimination during times of stress and suggest the need for broader attention to the impact of the pandemic on unfair treatment of stigmatized groups. Public Significance Statement: The results of this study suggest notable shifts in experiences of discrimination and social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, the findings indicate that Black young adults experienced increases in discrimination, which exacerbated Black–White racial disparities in social isolation. Determining the degree to which the reported changes are enduring, evident in other demographic groups, and of longer term developmental and public health significance will be important next steps to inform a continuing pandemic response, and responses to future societal-level stressful events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors of this investigation sought to examine changes in the sleep quality of older women over time and to determine whether dimensions of psychological well-being, health (subjective health and number of illnesses), and psychological distress (depression and anxiety) predict these changes. A secondary analysis was conducted with a longitudinal sample of aging women (Kwan, Love, Ryff, & Essex, 2003). Of 518 community-dwelling older women in the parent study, 115 women (baseline M age = 67 years, SD = 7.18) with data at baseline, 8 years, and 10 years were used for this investigation. Participants completed self-administered questionnaires and participated in in-home interviews and observations. Growth curve modeling was used to examine the overall linear trajectories of sleep quality. Growth mixture modeling was used to examine whether there were different patterns of change in sleep quality over time and to examine baseline predictors of each pattern. Sleep quality declined over time but not for all women. Two distinctly different sleep patterns emerged: good but declining sleep quality and disrupted sleep quality. Higher psychological well-being (positive relations with others, environmental mastery, personal growth. purpose in life, and self-acceptance), fewer illnesses, and lower depression scores at baseline predicted reduced odds for membership in the disrupted sleep group. Future research is needed to examine whether interventions focused on maintaining or enhancing psychological well-being could minimize later life declines in sleep quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recursive partitioning is an analytic technique that is useful for identifying complex combinations of conditions that predict particular outcomes as well as for delineating multiple subgroup differences in how such factors work together. As such, the methodology is well suited to multidisciplinary, life course inquiry in which the goal is to integrate many interacting influences and understand subgroup variation. The authors conducted recursive partitioning analyses on a previously published study (D. K. Mroczek & C. M. Kolarz, 1998) that investigated life course profiles of positive and negative affect and incorporated various top-down (personality traits) and bottom-up (sociodemographic statuses, contextual influences) influences. The new analyses reveal multiway, nonlinear interactions among these variables in predicting affective experience and, importantly, life course differences in how these various factors combine. Included are details of how recursive partitioning trees are generated as well as descriptions of the software packages available for using such techniques. Overall, the methodology offers tractable strategies for discerning meaningful patterns in highly complex data sets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on a study which investigated how self-enhancing evaluations, obtained via positive social comparisons and reflected appraisals, were related to mental health in a later life transition. Mechanisms for self-enhancing self-evaluations; Consequences of self-enhancing evaluations; Methodology of the study; Results and discussion.

Subjective well-being (SWB) is evaluation of life in terms of satisfaction and balance between positive and negative affect; psychological well-being (PWB) entails perception of engagement with existential challenges of life. The authors hypothesized that these research streams are conceptually related but empirically distinct and that combinations of them relate differentially to sociodemographics and personality. Data are from a national sample of 3,032 Americans aged 25-74. Factor analyses confirmed the related-but-distinct status of SWB and PWB. The probability of optimal well-being (high SWB and PWB) increased as age, education, extraversion, and conscientiousness increased and as neuroticism decreased. Compared with adults with higher SWB than PWB, adults with higher PWB than SWB were younger, had more education, and showed more openness to experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two distinctive late-life challenges, community relocation and caring for an adult child with mental retardation, were studied to determine their influence on coping and well-being. These challenges differ in terms of their normativeness, duration, and whether they were expected. Data from 2 ongoing longitudinal studies (N = 449) were used to test the hypotheses that women experiencing residential relocation would report higher well-being and use problem-focused coping more frequently than women with long-term caregiving responsibilities. As predicted, more positive changes in well-being across time were reported by the relocation sample, which also showed more problem-focused coping. Women in the caregiving sample, however, showed stronger relationships between coping and well-being, underscoring possible gains in expertise that accompany challenges of lengthy duration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A landmark article published in the American Psychologist (Adler et al., 1994) encouraged psychologists to engage in research on socioeconomic inequality and health. Numerous contributions followed to fill in psychosocial and behavioral pathways. Specifically, we review advances on health inequalities research from a large public-use study (Midlife in the United States [MIDUS]). The Great Recession of 2007 to 2009 and its lingering effects are then reviewed to underscore widening inequality in access to education, employment, and income. Two MIDUS national samples of same-aged adults recruited 2 decades apart are then compared to assess historical changes in socioeconomic, physical health, and well-being profiles from the 1990s to postrecession. Despite historical gains in educational attainment over time, we show that indicators of socioeconomic status, health, and well-being are more compromised in the postrecession sample relative to the 1990s sample. Building on these preliminary findings, we elaborate opportunities for further inquiry by the scientific community to examine whether widening socioeconomic inequalities exacerbated by the Great Recession translate to widening health inequalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current theorizing on socioeconomic status (SES) focuses on the availability of resources and the freedom they afford as a key determinant of the association between high SES and stronger orientation toward the self and, by implication, weaker orientation toward others. However, this work relies nearly exclusively on data from Western countries where self-orientation is strongly sanctioned. In the present work, we predicted and found that especially in East Asian countries, where other-orientation is strongly sanctioned, high SES is associated with stronger other-orientation as well as with self-orientation. We first examined both psychological attributes (Study 1, N = 2,832) and socialization values (Study 2a, N = 4,675) in Japan and the United States. In line with the existent evidence, SES was associated with greater self-oriented psychological attributes and socialization values in both the U.S. and Japan. Importantly, however, higher SES was associated with greater other orientation in Japan, whereas this association was weaker or even reversed in the United States. Study 2b (N = 85,296) indicated that the positive association between SES and self-orientation is found, overall, across 60 nations. Further, Study 2b showed that the positive association between SES and other-orientation in Japan can be generalized to other Confucian cultures, whereas the negative association between SES and other-orientation in the U.S. can be generalized to other Frontier cultures. Implications of the current findings for modernization and globalization are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To examine changes in sleep problems over a 1.5-year period among Black or African American (AA) and White or European American (EA) college students and to consider the role of racial discrimination as a mediator of race differences in sleep problems over time.Method: Students attending a large, predominantly White university (N = 133, 41% AA, 57% female, mean age = 18.8, SD = .90) reported on habitual sleep characteristics and experiences of racial discrimination at baseline and follow-up assessments. A latent variable for sleep problems was assessed from reports of sleep latency, duration, efficiency, and quality. Longitudinal models were used to examine race differences in sleep problems over time and the mediating role of perceived discrimination. Covariates included age, gender, parent education, parent income, body mass index, self-rated physical health, and depressive symptoms. Each of the individual sleep measures was also examined separately, and sensitivity analyses were conducted using alternative formulations of the sleep problems measure.Results: AAs had greater increases in sleep problems than EAs. Perceived discrimination was also associated with increases in sleep problems over time and mediated racial disparities in sleep. This pattern of findings was similar when each of the sleep indicators was considered separately and held with alternative sleep problems measures.Conclusions: The findings highlight the importance of racial disparities in sleep across the college years and suggest that experiences of discrimination contribute to group disparities. (PsycINFO Database Record [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emodiversity, or the variety and relative abundance of emotions experienced, provides a metric that can be used to understand emotional experience and its relation to well-being above and beyond average levels of positive and negative affect. Past research has found that more diverse emotional experiences, both positive and negative, are related to better mental and physical health outcomes. The present research aimed to test the relationship between positive and negative emodiversity across the span of 8 days with measures of health and well-being using 2 samples of the Midlife in the United States study (http://midus.wisc.edu/). Participants ( N = 2,788) reported emotional states (14 negative, 13 positive) once each day for 8 days. Emodiversity scores were computed for each day using an adaptation of Shannon's biodiversity index and averaged across the days. All models included average affect and demographic covariates. Greater positive emodiversity was associated with fewer symptoms of depression and anxiety and fewer physical health symptoms but was not related to eudaimonic well-being nor cognitive functioning. In contrast to previous research, greater negative emodiversity was related to more symptoms of depression and anxiety and more physical health symptoms. Greater negative emodiversity was only associated with one positive outcome: better executive functioning. These findings illustrate inconsistencies across studies in whether negative emodiversity is associated with better or worse outcomes and raise further questions about how the construct of emodiversity can be better refined. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Current theorizing on socioeconomic status (SES) focuses on the availability of resources and the freedom they afford as a key determinant of the association between high SES and stronger orientation toward the self and, by implication, weaker orientation toward others. However, this work relies nearly exclusively on data from Western countries where self-orientation is strongly sanctioned. In the present work, we predicted and found that especially in East Asian countries, where other-orientation is strongly sanctioned, high SES is associated with stronger other-orientation as well as with self-orientation. We first examined both psychological attributes (Study 1, N = 2,832) and socialization values (Study 2a, N = 4,675) in Japan and the United States. In line with the existent evidence, SES was associated with greater self-oriented psychological attributes and socialization values in both the U.S. and Japan. Importantly, however, higher SES was associated with greater other orientation in Japan, whereas this association was weaker or even reversed in the United States. Study 2b (N = 85,296) indicated that the positive association between SES and self-orientation is found, overall, across 60 nations. Further, Study 2b showed that the positive association between SES and other-orientation in Japan can be generalized to other Confucian cultures, whereas the negative association between SES and other-orientation in the U.S. can be generalized to other Frontier cultures. Implications of the current findings for modernization and globalization are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record, ((c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).)

Previous studies have shown that positive affect (PA) and social connectedness predict better health in the United States (U.S.). However, the relevance of such findings for other cultural contexts has been largely ignored. The present study investigated the interplay of PA, social connectedness, and health using large probability samples of Japanese and U.S. adults. Health was measured objectively with biomarkers that represent well-functioning physiological systems: HDL (high-density lipoprotein) and DHEA-S (dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate). Lower levels of both biomarkers (i.e., less healthy biomarker profile) were found among those in Japan who reported high PA in combination with low social connectedness. In the U.S., the general pattern was that those with greater PA showed healthier HDL levels regardless of social connectedness. The findings highlight cultural variations in the health implications of how PA and social connectedness come together. (PsycINFO Database Record, ((c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).)

Individuals with lower social status have been reported to express more anger, but this evidence comes mostly from Western cultures. Here, we used representative samples of American and Japanese adults and tested the hypothesis that the association between social status and anger expression depends on whether anger serves primarily to vent frustration, as in the United States, or to display authority, as in Japan. Consistent with the assumption that lower social standing is associated with greater frustration stemming from life adversities and blocked goals, Americans with lower social status expressed more anger, with the relationship mediated by the extent of frustration. In contrast, consistent with the assumption that higher social standing affords a privilege to display anger, Japanese with higher social status expressed more anger, with the relationship mediated by decision-making authority. As expected, anger expression was predicted by subjective social status among Americans and by objective social status among Japanese. Implications for the dynamic construction of anger and anger expression are discussed.

Greater levels of conscientiousness have been associated with lower levels of negative affect. We focus on one mechanism through which conscientiousness may decrease negative affect: effective emotion regulation, as reflected by greater recovery from negative stimuli. In 273 adults who were 35-85 years old, we collected self-report measures of personality including conscientiousness and its self-control facet, followed on average 2 years later by psychophysiological measures of emotional reactivity and recovery. Among middle-aged adults (35-65 years old), the measures of conscientiousness and self-control predicted greater recovery from, but not reactivity to, negative emotional stimuli. The effect of conscientiousness and self-control on recovery was not driven by other personality variables or by greater task adherence on the part of high conscientiousness individuals. In addition, the effect was specific to negative emotional stimuli and did not hold for neutral or positive emotional stimuli.

The objective of the study was to investigate how self-enhancing evaluations, obtained via positive social comparisons and reflected appraisals, were related to mental health in a later life transition. The sample consisted of 266 women who were interviewed once before and 3 times after the experience of community relocation. Results extended prior findings suggesting the dynamic impact of self-enhancing evaluative processes on psychological well-being and depressive symptoms. Additional analyses showed evidence for reverse causality, that is, that mental health also influenced self-evaluative processes. This study underscores the significance of holding a positive view of self vis-à-vis others in negotiating life challenges as well as the reciprocal influence of well-being on social self-evaluative processes.