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The impact of positive reappraisal on positive (and negative) emotion among older adults

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 December 2015

Jamie S. Nowlan ,
Viviana M. Wuthrich Open the ORCID record for Viviana M. Wuthrich [Opens in a new window]  and
Ronald M. Rapee
Jamie S. Nowlan
Affiliation:
Centre for Emotional Health, Department of Psychology, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
Viviana M. Wuthrich*
Affiliation:
Centre for Emotional Health, Department of Psychology, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
Ronald M. Rapee
Affiliation:
Centre for Emotional Health, Department of Psychology, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: Dr Viviana M. Wuthrich, Centre for Emotional Health, Department of Psychology, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia. Email: [email protected].
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Abstract

Background:

Positive reappraisal is an important cognitive strategy for older adults associated with wide-ranging improvements in psychological well-being. However, little is known about the relationship between positive reappraisal and positive and negative emotion, anxiety and depression, and whether positive reappraisal is associated with continued increases in positive emotion over time.

Methods:

In the first study, 61 participants aged 62 to 88 years (M = 72, SD = 5.8) completed current measures of cognitive emotion regulation, positive emotion, negative emotion, anxiety and depression regarding their most distressing aging-related adverse life event, and rated (retrospectively) positive reappraisal use at the time of the stressor. Utilizing a longitudinal design, in a second study 60 participants aged 62 to 88 years (M = 71.2, SD = 5.7) completed the same measures for a recent adverse life event and repeated the measures 3 and 6 months later.

Results:

In the first study, positive reappraisal reported for both time periods was significantly correlated with current positive emotion, but not negative emotion with mixed findings for anxiety and depression, and positive reappraisal use increased with time since stressor onset. In the second study, positive reappraisal was significantly correlated with positive emotion and significantly predicted positive emotion from 3-month to 6-month follow-up, and was related to anxiety and depression but not general negative emotion.

Conclusions:

These findings indicate that positive reappraisal is related to positive emotion but not consistently with negative emotion, and continues to be beneficial over time in older adults who have experienced a stressor.

Keywords

positive reappraisalcognitive reappraisalpositive emotioncoping
Type
Research Article
Information
International Psychogeriatrics , Volume 28 , Issue 4 , April 2016 , pp. 681 - 693
Copyright
Copyright © International Psychogeriatric Association 2015 

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