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The Role of Daily Positive Emotions During Conjugal Bereavement

¹ Department of Psychology, University of Notre Dame, Indiana.
² Department of Psychology, University of New Hampshire, Durham.

Address correspondence to Anthony D. Ong, 118 Haggar Hall, Department of Psychology, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556. E-mail: aong{at}nd.edu

The role of daily positive emotions in the stress process was examined in a sample of 34 recently bereaved older adult widows. Humor coping and perceived stress were measured in questionnaires, and positive emotions, depression, anxiety, and stress were assessed daily for 98 days. Results highlight the critical role of daily positive emotions in the months immediately following conjugal loss. Intraindividual analyses revealed significant reductions in the magnitude of the stress–depression correlation on days in which greater positive emotions were present. Results also suggest that different vulnerability and resilience factors are implicated in the emotion differentiation process. For widows with greater humor coping skills, there was less overlap in daily ratings of positive emotions and depressive symptoms. In contrast, higher levels of chronic stress resulted in less differentiation of emotional responses.