Stressor-Related Negative Affect Across the Lifespan

Across past research, there is a lack of consensus regarding how much negative affect (NA) individuals of different ages experience in response to stress (stressor-related negative affect; SRNA). Prominent theories propose that older adults should experience advantages in emotional regulation strategies and a motivation to maintain well-being, but evidence for these theories in regards to SRNA is mixed. The present study aimed to elucidate age-related differences in SRNA using an ecological momentary assessment approach (EMA) with an age-stratified group of US adults (N = 208; ages 18 - 32). Participants reported experiences of recent stress and momentary NA three times per day across seven days. Results from a linear regression indicated that across all ages, participants who reported greater stressor occurrence across the study exhibited more NA on average than participants with lower reported stressors. Although older adults experienced lower average NA over the study period than younger participants, older participants reported greater average SRNA across the study than younger participants. Although these findings diverge from dominant theories of greater emotional well-being in older adulthood, they offer new insight into SRNA in older adulthood and underscore the need for future research. Understanding SRNA in older adulthood is critical for identifying vulnerabilities in emotional well-being and developing strategies to support healthy aging.