Daniel R. Evans

Goal Shifts Following Reminders of Mortality: Reconciling Posttraumatic Growth and Terror Management Theory

Research findings within posttraumatic growth (PTG) and terror management theory (TMT) currently appear contradictory. Following confrontations with mortality, PTG research demonstrates intrinsic goal shifts, whereas TMT suggests extrinsic shifts. The current studies examine factors contributing to these inconsistent results. Study 1 demonstrates that perceived death threat is associated with PTG effects. Study 2 illuminates the importance of duration of death processing. Study 3 demonstrates that existing goal values and duration and type of processing all interact in determining ultimate goal structure, with a match between level of goals and processing producing the most psychologically advantageous outcomes. Although previous research suggests that short-term confrontations with death may lead to defensiveness, the current studies suggest that encountering death over a longer period or in a manner consistent with goal structure may lead individuals to transcend defensiveness and maintain intrinsic goals or become more intrinsically oriented.

The Nature of Self-Regulatory Fatigue and “Ego Depletion” Lessons From Physical Fatigue

Self-regulation requires overriding a dominant response and leads to temporary self-regulatory fatigue. Existing theories of the nature and causes of self-regulatory fatigue highlight physiological substrates such as glucose, or psychological processes such as motivation, but these explanations are incomplete on their own. Historically, theories of physical fatigue demonstrate a similar pattern of useful but incomplete explanations, as recent views of physical fatigue emphasize the roles of both physiological and psychological factors. In addition to accounting for multiple inputs, these newer views also explain how fatigue can occur even in the presence of sufficient resources. Examining these newer theories of physical fatigue can serve as a foundation on which to build a more comprehensive understanding of self-regulatory fatigue that integrates possible neurobiological underpinnings of physical and self-regulatory fatigue, and suggests the possible function of self-regulatory fatigue.

Current Emotion Research in Health Behavior Science

In the past two to three decades health behavior scientists have increasingly emphasized affect-related concepts (including, but not limited to emotion) in their attempts to understand and facilitate change in important health behaviors, such as smoking, eating, physical activity, substance abuse, and sex. This article provides a narrative review of this burgeoning literature, including relevant theory and research on affective response (e.g., hedonic response to eating and drug use), incidental affect (e.g., work-related stress as a determinant of alcohol use), affect processing (e.g., anticipated regret for illicit sex or skipping an exercise session), and affectively charged motivation (e.g., cigarette craving). An integrative dual-processing framework is presented that suggests pathways through which affect-related concepts may interrelate to influence health behavior.

Vulnerability, Distress, and Immune Response to Vaccination in Older Adults

Psychological distress and biobehavioral vulnerability (e.g., arising from being older or sedentary) have independently predicted immune responses to influenza vaccination in older adults. Recent research examining basal inflammatory markers suggests that, rather than having additive effects, distress and vulnerability interact with each other. The present study tested the interactions between distress and age, sex, education, BMI, sleep quality, and physical activity over up to 8 years in older adults (N=134; M age=74 years) who received annual influenza vaccinations. Measured vaccination responses were changes from baseline in antibody to the three vaccine components, interleukin (IL)-6, and β2-microglobulin. As predicted, the most robust effects were interactions between distress and vulnerability. BMI interacted with stable individual differences in distress to predict antibody response (t(132)=3.09, p<0.003), such that only the combination of low BMI and low distress was associated with a more robust antibody response. Likewise, changes in physical activity over time interacted with changes in distress (t(156)=2.96, p<0.004), such that only the combination of increased physical activity and decreased distress was associated with a more robust antibody response. Finally, there was a smaller tendency for age to interact with stable individual differences in distress (t(130)=2.46, p<0.015), such that distress was more strongly associated with post-vaccination IL-6 at older ages. The synergistic effects of distress and other forms of vulnerability are an important direction for future research and a target for interventions to improve immunological health in older adults.

Pain acceptance, psychological functioning, and self-regulatory fatigue in temporomandibular disorder.

OBJECTIVE A growing body of evidence suggests that chronic pain patients suffer from chronic self-regulatory fatigue: difficulty controlling thoughts, emotions, and behavior. Pain acceptance, which involves responding to pain and related experiences without attempts to control or avoid them (pain willingness), and pursuit of valued life activities regardless of pain (activity engagement) has been associated with various favorable outcomes in chronic pain patients, including better psychological functioning. The study presented here tested the hypotheses that pain acceptance is associated with less psychological distress, higher psychological well-being, and reduced self-regulatory fatigue in temporomandibular disorder (TMD) patients, particularly for those with longer pain duration. METHODS Cross-sectional data were provided by 135 TMD patients during an initial evaluation at a university-based tertiary orofacial pain clinic. RESULTS Results of hierarchical linear regression models indicated that, controlling for pain severity, pain willingness is associated with less psychological distress and lower self-regulatory fatigue, and activity engagement is associated with greater psychological well-being. Furthermore, the effect of pain willingness on psychological distress was moderated by pain duration such that pain willingness was more strongly associated with less psychological distress in patients with longer pain duration; this moderating effect was fully mediated by self-regulatory fatigue. CONCLUSION These findings suggest pain willingness may buffer against self-regulatory fatigue in those with longer pain duration, and such conservation of self-regulatory resources may protect against psychological symptoms.

Repetitive Thought Dimensions, Psychological Well-being and Perceived Growth in Older Adults: A Multilevel, Prospective Study

Background and Objectives: Forms of repetitive thought (RT) such as worry are clearly related to states such as anxiety and depression. However, the presence of other forms such as reminiscing suggests that RT could also relate to eudaimonic well-being (EWB). Furthermore, a largely overlooked characteristic, total tendency to engage in RT, may associate with a particular kind of EWB, namely, perceived growth (PG). Design: Older adults (N = 150) were interviewed semi-annually for up to 10 waves. Methods: Participants completed a battery of RT measures at baseline and annual assessments of psychological well-being (PWB) and PG. Multilevel models tested the prospective, between-person relationships between baseline RT and future PWB and PG. Results: RT qualities prospectively predicted both PWB and PG: more positive valence best predicted PWB whereas more negative valence and more total RT best predicted PG. Furthermore, RT qualities largely accounted for a negative between-person relationship between PWB and PG. Conclusions: Different qualities of RT promoted different kinds of EWB, and a negative association between different kinds of EWB could be attributed to their different RT antecedents.

A Preliminary Study of Cigarette Smoking in Female Orofacial Pain Patients

The relationship between behavior (eg, diet, exercise, substance use) and the functioning of chronic-pain patients, including orofacial-pain patients, is poorly understood. This preliminary study examined cigarette smoking and both pain-related and psychological functioning in female orofacial-pain patients. Correlates of intentions to quit smoking were also explored. There were 48 participants in this cross-sectional study. Smokers reported significantly less self-control over pain (d = .66), lower general activity levels (d = .52), more fatigue (d = .80), and poorer sleep quality (d = .53) than non-smokers. The mean effect size for all dependent variables was .49 (range, .33–.80) with the smallest and largest effect found for negative mood and fatigue, respectively. More positive attitudes toward smoking cessation independently predicted stronger intentions to quit (β = .52, p = .03). Findings suggest smoking is significantly associated with pain-related and psychological functioning in female orofacial-pain patients. Smoking-cessation treatment for these patients should include motivational interviewing techniques directed toward attitudinal change.

Briefly Assessing Repetitive Thought Dimensions Valence, Purpose, and Total

Discrete forms of repetitive thought (RT), such as worry and reflection, can be characterized along basic dimensions of valence (positive vs. negative) and purpose (searching vs. solving). In addition, people can be characterized as high or low in their tendency to engage in RT. This dimensional model has been demanding to assess, and a smaller number of items that could stand in for a large battery would make measurement more accessible. Using four samples (N = 1,588), eight items that assess RT valence, purpose, and total in a circumplex model were identified. Across these and other samples, the dimensions were adequately reliable and valid with regard to assessment via large RT battery, other measures of RT, and depressive symptoms. The accessibility of dimensional assessment of RT using this smaller number of items should facilitate work on questions about the qualities of RT that predict mental and physical health.

Physical Activity and Depressive Symptoms Interact to Predict Executive Functioning Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults

Background/Study Context: Physical activity is beneficial for the executive functioning (EF) of older adults, but may be particularly protective of EF when they are cognitively vulnerable, such as during depressive episodes. Intervention studies support more potent effects of physical activity on EF among clinically depressed older adults, although these results may have limited generalizability to the daily mood and physical activity of healthy, community-dwelling older adults. Methods: The current study aimed to test whether physical activity among older adults was more protective of EF during periods of cognitive vulnerability due to mildly elevated depressive symptoms. Longitudinal data from 150 generally healthy, community-dwelling older adults were collected semiannually and analyzed with multilevel modeling. Results: Physical activity was more protective of EF within individuals during periods of relatively elevated depressive symptoms. Conclusions: The power of physical activity to protect EF during periods of cognitive vulnerability may extend to community-dwelling older adults with nonclinical levels of depressive symptoms.

Happy All the Time? Affect, Resources, and Time Use.

When examined at the level of activities, people spend more time in activities associated with more negative affect (NA), suggesting that affect may not influence time use. However, when the normal time frames of activities such as work or eating are considered, people may spend relatively more time in activities they find more enjoyable. The present study examined time use between and within activities, using multilevel models, to further explain time use. Working women (N = 98) reported on time use, affect, and resources associated with 18 different activities using the day reconstruction method. Across activities, higher NA was associated with more time spent in that activity, an effect driven partially by work. However, within activities, higher NA but especially higher positive affect and more resource growth was associated with more time spent in that activity by a particular woman. Individuals who derive more affective and resource value from an activity devote more time to it. (PsycINFO Database Record