Variability in affective change among aging men: Longitudinal findings from the VA Normative Aging Study

Paul W. Griffin; Daniel K. Mroczek; Avron Spiro

doi:10.1016/j.jrp.2005.09.011

Variability in affective change among aging men: Longitudinal findings from the VA Normative Aging Study

Paul W. Griffin^*, Daniel K. Mroczek, Avron Spiro

^*Corresponding author for this work

Psychology

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

48 Scopus citations

Abstract

We examined change in both positive and negative affect over ages 45 to 97 among 1534 men (mean age = 69 years). Positive affect demonstrated a linear decline with age, while negative affect declined until approximately 70 years, and thereafter showed a gradual increase. Results indicated significant individual differences in rates of change for both positive and negative affect. We then examined whether personality, health, and work status might account for individual differences in levels and rates of change in affect. Higher extraversion was associated with higher levels of positive affect, but not with rate of change. Higher neuroticism predicted higher levels of negative affect, as well as an attenuated decline in middle-adulthood, and a steeper increase in later adulthood. Better health was associated with higher levels of positive affect and lower levels of negative, but was also found to predict less decline in negative affect. Work predicted lower levels of positive affect and higher levels of negative affect, as well as greater declines in positive affect. These findings indicate that individuals differ in the manner in which they change in affect over time.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	942-965
Number of pages	24
Journal	Journal of Research in Personality
Volume	40
Issue number	6
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2005.09.011
State	Published - Dec 2006

Funding

This study was supported by a grant from the National Institute on Aging (R01-AG18436) to Dan Mroczek. The various data used in this study were collected via NIH grants to Carolyn M. Aldwin (R01-AG13006), Michael R. Levenson (R01-AA08941), and Raymond Bossé (R01-AG02237), and by the Department of Veterans Affairs. The VA Normative Aging Study (NAS) is supported by the Cooperative Studies Program/ERIC, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and is a research component of the Massachusetts Veterans Epidemiology Research and Information Center (MAVERIC). We thank Patricia Berretty, Douglas Katz, Margot Nadien, and Lonnie Sherrod for helpful comments.

Keywords

Emotional well-being
Growth curve models
Personality development
Positive and negative affect
Subjective well-being

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Social Psychology
General Psychology

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10.1016/j.jrp.2005.09.011

Cite this

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title = "Variability in affective change among aging men: Longitudinal findings from the VA Normative Aging Study",

abstract = "We examined change in both positive and negative affect over ages 45 to 97 among 1534 men (mean age = 69 years). Positive affect demonstrated a linear decline with age, while negative affect declined until approximately 70 years, and thereafter showed a gradual increase. Results indicated significant individual differences in rates of change for both positive and negative affect. We then examined whether personality, health, and work status might account for individual differences in levels and rates of change in affect. Higher extraversion was associated with higher levels of positive affect, but not with rate of change. Higher neuroticism predicted higher levels of negative affect, as well as an attenuated decline in middle-adulthood, and a steeper increase in later adulthood. Better health was associated with higher levels of positive affect and lower levels of negative, but was also found to predict less decline in negative affect. Work predicted lower levels of positive affect and higher levels of negative affect, as well as greater declines in positive affect. These findings indicate that individuals differ in the manner in which they change in affect over time.",

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author = "Griffin, {Paul W.} and Mroczek, {Daniel K.} and Avron Spiro",

note = "Funding Information: This study was supported by a grant from the National Institute on Aging (R01-AG18436) to Dan Mroczek. The various data used in this study were collected via NIH grants to Carolyn M. Aldwin (R01-AG13006), Michael R. Levenson (R01-AA08941), and Raymond Boss{\'e} (R01-AG02237), and by the Department of Veterans Affairs. The VA Normative Aging Study (NAS) is supported by the Cooperative Studies Program/ERIC, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and is a research component of the Massachusetts Veterans Epidemiology Research and Information Center (MAVERIC). We thank Patricia Berretty, Douglas Katz, Margot Nadien, and Lonnie Sherrod for helpful comments. ",

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N2 - We examined change in both positive and negative affect over ages 45 to 97 among 1534 men (mean age = 69 years). Positive affect demonstrated a linear decline with age, while negative affect declined until approximately 70 years, and thereafter showed a gradual increase. Results indicated significant individual differences in rates of change for both positive and negative affect. We then examined whether personality, health, and work status might account for individual differences in levels and rates of change in affect. Higher extraversion was associated with higher levels of positive affect, but not with rate of change. Higher neuroticism predicted higher levels of negative affect, as well as an attenuated decline in middle-adulthood, and a steeper increase in later adulthood. Better health was associated with higher levels of positive affect and lower levels of negative, but was also found to predict less decline in negative affect. Work predicted lower levels of positive affect and higher levels of negative affect, as well as greater declines in positive affect. These findings indicate that individuals differ in the manner in which they change in affect over time.

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Variability in affective change among aging men: Longitudinal findings from the VA Normative Aging Study

Abstract

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Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

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