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Associations Between Positive and Negative Affect and 12-Month Physical Disorders in a National Sample

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Abstract

Associations between positive and negative affect and a range of 12-month physical disorders were investigated in the Midlife Development in the United States Survey, a nationally representative sample of 3,032 adults ages 25–74. These associations were examined, controlling for relevant sociodemographic and psychiatric covariates. High positive affect was associated with decreased risk of physical disorders, whereas high negative affect was associated with increased risk. However, associations between positive affect and physical disorders were partially attenuated following adjustment for concurrent negative affect. Additionally, high affect balance was associated with decreased risk of physical disorders before and after adjustments. These findings underscore the relevance of affective disposition in health status, suggesting that both positive and negative affect may serve as viable health risk parameters.

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Notes

  1. Although MacCallum, Zhang, Preacher, and Rucker (2002) argued convincingly against the practice of dichotomization of quantitative variables, these authors indicated that dichotomization may be justifiable when a distribution of continuous scores is highly skewed because such circumstances more clearly demarcate the presence of two natural groups of individuals. Scores on both the positive and negative affect indices were heavily skewed in MIDUS; hence, dichotomization of these variables was deemed an appropriate strategy.

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Weiser, E.B. Associations Between Positive and Negative Affect and 12-Month Physical Disorders in a National Sample. J Clin Psychol Med Settings 19, 197–210 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10880-011-9277-9

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