Affect In Women Research Articles

Embodied reflexivity in voice-only interviewing: Navigating gender in difficult-to-access contexts

This article reflects on my experiences as a male researcher using voice-only WhatsApp interviews to study women's affect and Taliban violence in Pakistan's Swat Valley. It considers the opportunities and constraints posed by doing research in supposedly disembodied online space. It also positions remote voice-only interviews as both embodied and embedded practices. This understanding situates the embodied reflexivity and gendered positionality of the researcher in relation to research participants—a relationship largely absent in online, qualitative voice-only interviewing literature. While internet-mediated settings do indeed offer some opportunities, their ability to circumvent gender boundaries is largely over-celebrated and has not received enough critical attention. I demonstrate why researcher feelings, positionality, and embodied reflexivity should be central concerns in post-COVID online, voice-only interviewing.

The Effectiveness of Laughter Yoga Training on Quality of sleep and positive and negative affect of female teachers with diabetes

Aim: The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of laughter yoga training on sleep quality and positive and negative affect of female teachers with diabetes. Method: The research method was quasi-experimental with two groups of experimental and control, pre-test, post-test and two-month follow-up and the statistical population was 70 female teachers with diabetes in Zahedan in 1397. Sixty women were selected from this community in an accessible manner and randomly assigned 30 individuals in each of the experimental and control groups. The research tools were Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Questionnaire (1989) and Watson, Clark & Telgene (1988) Positive and Negative Affect Scale and Medical Laughter Yoga Program (2011) in 8 sessions of 60 sessions of two sessions per week for the experimental group. Data were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance. Results: Results showed the effect of laughter yoga training on sleep adequacy (F = 4.15, P = 0.046), positive affect (F = 12.16, P = 0.001), and negative affect (F = 14.64, P = 0/001) and stability of this effect was at follow-up.Conclusion: According to the findings of this study, laughter yoga training can be used as a complementary treatment along with other therapies to improve sleep quality and positive affect and reduce negative affect in women with diabetes.

PHYSICAL INTIMACY IN DAILY LIVES OF OLDER ROMANTIC COUPLES: LINKS WITH MOMENTARY AFFECT AND DAILY CORTISOL LEVELS

Abstract Physical intimacy is assumed to benefit well-being through stress-buffering and mood-improving processes. Although partnered older adults often report wishing for and experiencing physical intimacy, inquiries about how intimacy is linked to affect and stress in older couples’ daily lives remain scarce. We examined self-report and salivary cortisol data from 120 German couples (Mage= 71.6, SDage= 5.94) obtained up to seven times per day over seven consecutive days. In moments when participants experienced more physical intimacy, women reported less negative affect, and men more positive affect. Experiencing more overall physical intimacy was associated with more positive affect and less negative affect in women, and lower daily cortisol in men. More overall intimacy wished was related to more negative affect in women and men, and to higher daily cortisol in men. We conclude that physical intimacy relates to indicators of well-being in older couples’ daily lives and consider routes for future inquiry.

The effectiveness of happiness training on quality of life in women with premenstrual syndrome: a randomized, controlled, clinical trial

PurposePremenstrual syndrome (PMS) can disrupt women’s work process, social activities and interpersonal communication and lead to a lower quality of life (QOL). This study aims to determine the effectiveness of happiness training based on Fordyce’s theory on QOL and the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) in women with PMS.Design/methodology/approachThis randomized controlled trial was conducted on 100 women (intervention = 50, control = 50). The intervention group participated in eight 120-min sessions of training counseling based on Fordyce happiness training. The participants completed a sociodemographic questionnaire, the PANAS and the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36). A general linear model was used to compare the mean scores of QOL and positive and negative affect after the intervention.FindingsAfter the intervention, the mean scores of negative affect [MD = −6.12; 95% confidence interval (CI) = −12.10 to −1.49] and body pain (MD = −26.19; 95% CI = −38.63 to −13.72) were significantly lower in the intervention compared to the control group. Also, the mean scores of physical functioning (MD = 42.0; 95% CI = 16.37 to 67.64) and vitality (MD = 10.40; 95% CI = 4.86 to 15.39) were significantly higher in the intervention group compared to the controls.Practical implicationsFordyce happiness training is recommended to be used in conjunction with other supportive and caregiving methods for women with PMS. Midwifes and nurses are the main source to give this training to women and can help them perform cognitive tasks, such as concentration, positive thinking and negative emotions.Originality/valueThis randomized controlled trial suggests Fordyce happiness training as a feasible and acceptable training program that can be beneficial in reducing negative affect in women with PMS.

Associations between temperament dimensions and dental anxiety in parents of the FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study.

We evaluated associations between dental anxiety and four temperament dimensions: effortful control, extraversion/surgency, negative affect and orienting sensitivity among 2558 parents in the FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study. Dental anxiety was measured with the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale, and temperament with the Adult Temperament Questionnaire. Associations between dental anxiety and temperament dimensions were modelled using linear and logistic (cut-off≥19 for high dental anxiety) regression analyses adjusting for general anxiety and depressive symptoms, age and education. In women and men, dental anxiety was positively associated with negative affect (women β=1.10; 95%CI 1.06-1.15; men β=1.11; 95%CI 1.05-1.18) and negatively associated with effortful control (women β=0.95; 95% CI0.92-0.99, men β=0.90; 95% CI 0.85-0.95). In women, extraversion/surgency was also positively associated with dental anxiety (β=1.04; 95%CI 1.00-1.08). For high dental anxiety, negative affect in women (OR=2.00; 95%CI 1.31-3.06) and men (OR=5.21; 95%CI 1.72-15.83) and for extraversion/surgency in women (OR=1.50; 95%CI 1.01-1.47) associated positively with dental anxiety, but for effortful control, the association was not statistically significant. Dentists should understand that temperament dimensions affect the risk for dental anxiety more strongly than general anxiety or depressive symptoms. Dimensions negative affect and extraversion/surgency may increase and effortful control decrease the risk.

Effects of stressful life-events on DNA methylation in panic disorder and major depressive disorder

BackgroundPanic disorder (PD) is characterized by recurrent panic attacks and higher affection of women as compared to men. The lifetime prevalence of PD is about 2–3% in the general population leading to tremendous distress and disability. Etiologically, genetic and environmental factors, such as stress, contribute to the onset and relapse of PD. In the present study, we investigated epigenome-wide DNA methylation (DNAm) in respond to a cumulative, stress-weighted life events score (wLE) in patients with PD and its boundary to major depressive disorder (MDD), frequently co-occurring with symptoms of PD.MethodsDNAm was assessed by the Illumina HumanMethylation450 BeadChip. In a meta-analytic approach, epigenome-wide DNAm changes in association with wLE were first analyzed in two PD cohorts (with a total sample size of 183 PD patients and 85 healthy controls) and lastly in 102 patients with MDD to identify possible overlapping and opposing effects of wLE on DNAm. Additionally, analysis of differentially methylated regions (DMRs) was conducted to identify regional clusters of association.ResultsTwo CpG-sites presented with p-values below 1 × 10−05 in PD: cg09738429 (p = 6.40 × 10−06, located in an intergenic shore region in next proximity of PYROXD1) and cg03341655 (p = 8.14 × 10−06, located in the exonic region of GFOD2). The association of DNAm at cg03341655 and wLE could be replicated in the independent MDD case sample indicating a diagnosis independent effect. Genes mapping to the top hits were significantly upregulated in brain and top hits have been implicated in the metabolic system. Additionally, two significant DMRs were identified for PD only on chromosome 10 and 18, including CpG-sites which have been reported to be associated with anxiety and other psychiatric phenotypes.ConclusionThis first DNAm analysis in PD reveals first evidence of small but significant DNAm changes in PD in association with cumulative stress-weighted life events. Most of the top associated CpG-sites are located in genes implicated in metabolic processes supporting the hypothesis that environmental stress contributes to health damaging changes by affecting a broad spectrum of systems in the body.

Effects of arousal modulation via resonance breathing on craving and affect in women with substance use disorder

BackgroundCraving for alcohol and other drugs is a complex in-the-moment experience that involves within-person changes in physiological arousal and affect. We evaluated the utility of a just-in-time, self-administered resonance breathing smartphone application (app) to reduce craving and improve affect in women during outpatient treatment for substance use disorders (SUD). MethodsWomen (N = 57) receiving outpatient addiction treatment were randomized to practice either cardiovascular resonance breathing (0.1 Hz/6 breaths per minute) or a sham (∼0.23 Hz/14 breaths per minute) in the face of urges over an 8-week intervention. Craving (Penn Alcohol Craving Scale) and affect (Positive and Negative Affect Scale) were collected weekly throughout the intervention. App data were uploaded weekly to assess frequency of use. Generalized Estimated Equations modeled craving and affect as a function of group randomization and app use frequency across the 8-week intervention.Findings: Higher levels of craving were associated with more frequent app use. The group X app use interaction was significant for craving. Frequent app use during the intervention phase was associated with lower craving levels in the resonance breathing group relative to the sham group over the 8-week intervention. There was no effect of app use frequency on affect measures. ConclusionsWomen assigned to practice sham breathing who used the intervention frequently experienced elevations in craving that are commonly reported during outpatient SUD treatment. Women assigned to resonance breathing who used the intervention frequently did not experience such increases. Resonance breathing may be protective against triggers in outpatient treatment. Physiological mechanisms are discussed.

Increased inhibitory activity in the basolateral amygdala and decreased anxiety during estrus: A potential role for ASIC1a channels

The amygdala is central to emotional behavior, and the excitability level of the basolateral nucleus of the amygdala (BLA) is associated with the level of anxiety. The excitability of neuronal networks is significantly controlled by GABAergic inhibition. Here, we investigated whether GABAergic inhibition in the BLA is altered during the rat estrous cycle. In rat amygdala slices, most principal BLA neurons display spontaneous IPSCs (sIPSCs) in the form of “bursts” of inhibitory currents, occurring rhythmically at a frequency of about 0.5 Hz. The percentage of BLA neurons displaying sIPSC bursts, along with the inhibitory charge transferred by sIPSCs and the frequency of sIPSC bursts, were significantly increased during the estrus phase; increased inhibition was accompanied by reduced anxiety in the open field, the light–dark box, and the acoustic startle response tests. sIPSC bursts were blocked by ibuprofen, an antagonist of acid-sensing-1a channels (ASIC1a), whose activity is known to increase by decreasing temperature. A transient reduction in the temperature of the slice medium, strengthened the sIPSCs bursts; this effect was blocked in the presence of ibuprofen. Further analysis of the sIPSC bursts during estrus showed significantly stronger rhythmic inhibitory activity in early estrus, when body temperature drops, compared with late estrus. To the extent that these results may relate to humans, it is suggested that “a calmer amygdala” due to increased inhibitory activity may underlie the positive affect in women around ovulation time. ASIC1a may contribute to increased inhibition, with their activity facilitated by the body-temperature drop preceding ovulation.

Rebalancing Himmat: Affect and Vernacular Approaches to Inequality in North India

AbstractThis article explores how affect shaped frontline workers’ efforts to address gender inequality in Jaipur, the capital of the Indian state of Rajasthan. Counselors, frontline workers who helped women facing violence seek legal and social support, used the term himmat, courage/daring, to criticize the behavior of men and to celebrate the bravery of women. In counseling interactions, activist writing, and everyday speech, people used the word himmat to describe how affect might be marshaled for social transformation. I argue that himmat animates social movements addressing inequality, simultaneously serving as a felt diagnostic of hierarchy and a prompt to act against that hierarchy. Phenomena such as himmat are what I call affective fulcrums. A fulcrum both generates and limits motion. As an affective fulcrum, himmat channels affect that gains energy from relations shaped by a grid of inequality, including gender inequality. Yet it also creates movement around and within those unequal relations. Using himmat as an example of an affective fulcrum, I argue that attention to the role of affect in women's rights organizations can help us better analyze how inequality grounds efforts for change even as it allows for movement towards transformation.

The relationship between infertility family stigma, self-stigma and psychological well-being in female first-visit patients at a reproductive medicine center in Taiwan

IntroductionSteeped in Chinese culture which considers continuing the family lineage highly important, infertility stigma endorsed by others and oneself can both negatively impact psychological well-being in women with infertility in Taiwan. The aim of the present study was to find out whether family stigma attached to infertility has a direct effect on psychological well-being, or whether it is only when family stigma is internalized into self-stigma that psychological well-being is affected.Material and methodsThe present study had a cross-sectional design, approved by an institutional review board in Taiwan. 245 female participants with infertility completed measures on infertility stigma, self-esteem, and positive and negative affect. The main question of this study was analyzed by conducting structural equation modeling.ResultsThe present study found that none of the direct effects of family stigma on self-esteem, negative affect, or positive affect were significant, while the indirect effects of family stigma on the three psychological well-being indexes through the mediator of self-stigma were significant.ConclusionsSelf-stigma fully mediates the effect of family stigma on self-esteem, positive affect, and negative affect in women with infertility. Collectively, stigma endorsed by others does not necessarily lead to negative psychological well-being. The negative influence comes from internalizing public/family stigma into self-stigma.

Gender Matters: Nonlinear Relationships Between Heart Rate Variability and Depression and Positive Affect.

Vagally mediated heart rate variability (vmHRV), a measure of the parasympathetic nervous system’s control over the heart, is often negatively related to maladaptive emotional outcomes. Recent work suggests that quadratic relationships involving these factors may be present; however, research has not investigated gender differences in these nonlinear functions. To address this gap, the current study tested for quadratic relationships between resting vmHRV and depression and positive affect while investigating gender differences in these relationships. Significant quadratic effects were found between resting vmHRV and reports of both depression symptoms and positive affect in women but not men. Specifically, the lowest levels of depression and the highest levels of positive affect were found at moderate vmHRV in women. These results suggest that examinations of vmHRV’s nonlinear associations require the consideration of gender. Our findings are interpreted based on proposed differential neuropsychological mechanisms of vmHRV in men versus women.

The Onset of Falls Reduces Subjective Well-Being. Findings of a Nationally Representative Longitudinal Study.

Introduction: The prevalence of older individuals experiencing a fall is high. Moreover, falls can have deleterious effects on health status. Additionally, falls can affect the subjective well-being of individuals. However, there is a lack of studies examining the link between falls and subjective well-being. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate whether the onset of falling is associated with (intraindividual) decreases in subjective well-being in men and women.Materials and Methods: Longitudinal data (from wave 5 to wave 6) were taken from a population-based sample of individuals residing in private households in Germany [in our analytical sample: 3,906 observations (men), and 3,718 observations (women)]. Positive and negative affect were quantified using the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS). Life satisfaction was assessed using the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS).Results: Adjusting for various potential confounders, fixed effects regressions showed that the onset of falls was associated with a decrease in positive affect (β = 0.08, p < 0.01), and an increase in negative affect (β = 0.07, p < 0.01) among men. While the onset of falls was not associated with changes in positive affect in women, it was associated with a decrease in negative affect in women (β = 0.06, p < 0.05). Sex differences were significant. The onset of falls was not associated with decreases in life satisfaction in men, nor in women.Discussion: The present study particularly highlights the link between the onset of falls and reduced affective well-being among men. Avoiding falls may contribute to maintaining affective well-being among middle-aged and older men.

Weather, Affect, and Preference for Hedonic Products: The Moderating Role of Gender

How and why does the association between weather and hedonic consumption differ between men and women? This article theorizes that women have a stronger affective response to weather conditions, which subsequently induces a larger increase in their hedonic consumption as compared to men. Seven studies show that the relationship between weather conditions and hedonic consumption (food and nonfood items) is differentially mediated by affect for women and men. The studies achieve triangulation by using diverse methodologies (census data, surveys, and experiments), participants (students and nonstudents), measures of independent variables (weather conditions as measured and manipulated), dependent measures (consumption preference and choice), and consumption modalities (food and nonfood).

"Crossover" in Depressive Symptoms Among Older Couples: Are Previous Findings Artifactual?

Objective: This study examined effects of a partner's depressive symptoms on those of a focal respondent. Method: Data were from the 2008-through-2014 waves of the Health and Retirement Study. Linear growth modeling was used to distinguish within- from between-person variation, and genetic instrumental variables to take endogeneity into account. Results: A partner's 2008 depressive symptoms had no associations with within-person change in those of a respondent between 2010 and 2014. Corresponding linkages with their between-person variation in 2010 were positive and significant for both genders. Among women, these last estimates remained intact in genetic instrumental variable models restricted to white couples. Discussion: Results indicate that contrary to previous literature, late life relationships are not marked by "crossover" of depressive symptoms. Women's affect may, however, be influenced by such transmission in the relationship's history. Beyond depression, findings suggest current theories of dyadic health effects may partly rest on flawed evidence.

Emotional cues from expressive behavior of women and men with Parkinson's disease.

ObjectiveEmotional experience of people with Parkinson’s disease is prone to being misunderstood by observers and even healthcare practitioners, which affects treatment effectiveness and makes clients suffer distress in their social lives. This study was designed to identify reliable emotional cues from expressive behavior in women and men with Parkinson’s disease.MethodVideotaped expressive behavior of 96 participants during an interview of discussing enjoyable events was rated using the Interpersonal Communication Rating Protocol. Indices from emotional measures were represented in three components. Correlational analyses between expressive behavior domains and emotional components were conducted for the total sample and by gender separately.ResultsMore gross motor expressivity and smiling/laughing indicated more positive affect in the total sample. Less conversational engagement indicated more negative affect in women. However, women with more negative affect and depression appeared to smile and laugh more.ConclusionThis study identified reliable cues from expressive behavior that could be used for assessment of emotional experience in people with Parkinson’s disease. For women, because smiling/laughing may convey two possible meanings, that is, more positive and more negative affect, this cue needs to be interpreted cautiously and be used for detecting the intensity, not the type, of emotional experience. Healthcare practitioners should be sensitive to valid cues to make an accurate evaluation of emotion in people with Parkinson’s disease.

Sexual-perception processes in acquaintance-targeted sexual aggression.

This study analyzes data from seven published studies to examine whether three performance-based indices of men's misperception of women's sexual interest (MSI), derived from a self-report questionnaire, are associated with sexual-aggression history, rape-supportive attitudes, sociosexuality, problem drinking, and self-reported MSI. Almost 2000 undergraduate men judged the justifiability of a man's increasingly unwanted advances toward a woman on the Heterosocial Perception Survey-Revised. Participants self-reported any sexual-aggression history, and some completed questionnaires assessing rape-supportive attitudes, sociosexuality, problem drinking, and self-reported MSI. A three-parameter logistic function was fitted to participants' justifiability ratings within a non-linear mixed-effects framework, which provided precise participant-specific estimates of three sexual-perception processes (baseline justifiability, bias, and sensitivity). Sexual-aggression history and rape-supportive attitudes predicted: (a) reduced sensitivity to women's affect; (b) more liberal biases, such that the woman's affect had to be more negative before justifiability ratings dropped substantially; and (c) greater baseline justifiability of continued advances after a positive response. Sexual-aggression history and attitudes correlated more strongly with sensitivity than baseline justifiability; remaining variables showed the opposite pattern. This work underscores the role of sexual-perception processes in sexual aggression and illustrates the derivation of performance-based estimates of sexual-perception processes from questionnaire responses.

Relationship between daily pain and affect in women with rheumatoid arthritis: lower optimism as a vulnerability factor

The aim of the study was to examine the moderating effect of optimism on the relationship between daily pain-daily affect. Fifty-four female patients with rheumatoid arthritis completed self-report measures of optimism (once), daily pain and daily positive and negative affect for 7 consecutive days during hospitalization. Results of multilevel random coefficients modeling demonstrated a significant cross-level interaction for daily negative affect only. Simple slopes analysis revealed that low optimism was related to a stronger positive relationship between daily pain and daily negative affect, whereas this effect was insignificant for higher optimism. High optimism was also related to higher daily positive affect, regardless of pain level. These findings suggest that low optimism may be a vulnerability factor in the daily pain-daily affect relationship rather than high optimism acting as a protective factor.

Effects of gender, rape-supportive attitudes, and explicit instruction on perceptions of women's momentary sexual interest.

Contemporary models of male-initiated sexual aggression toward female acquaintances implicate misperception of women's sexual interest. This study investigated the effects of gender, rape-supportive attitudes and an instructional manipulation on college students' sexual-interest judgments. Two hundred seventy-six women and 220 men judged the cues of momentary sexual interest expressed by photographed women; half received instruction on the differential validity of nonverbal cues of sexual interest for estimation of women's momentary sexual interest. Participants also completed an assessment of rape-supportive attitudes. Overall, college students' perceptions of women's momentary sexual interest are compromised both nomothetically and idiographically. Both male and female college students relied not only on women's nonverbal affect but also on the provocativeness of women's clothing and attractiveness when judging women's sexual interest. Men and women showed similar average ratings, but women relied more than men on women's affect, whereas men relied more than women on women's attractiveness. Both male and female students who endorsed more rape-supportive attitudes, relative to their peers, relied less on women's affect and more on women's clothing style and attractiveness. Explicit instruction regarding the greater validity of women's affective than nonaffective cues enhanced focus on nonverbal affective cues and decreased focus on clothing style and attractiveness. Although higher rape-supportive attitudes predicted more deficits in processing cues of sexual interest, explicit instruction proved to be effective for both higher-risk and lower-risk participants. These findings highlight the generalizability of the well-established effects of explicit instruction on category learning to sexual perception and may point to procedures that eventually could be incorporated into augmented prevention programs for sexual aggression on college campuses.

Everyday decision-making across the menstrual cycle: The moderating effects of the woman's negative affect and the situation's unfamiliarity

Everyday decision-making across the menstrual cycle: The moderating effects of the woman's negative affect and the situation's unfamiliarity

The Role of Cognitive Emotion Regulation and Positive and Negative Affect in Resiliency of Women with Breast Cancer

Introduction: Regarding the role of emotion regulation in choosing a method to overcome stressful situations, the present study aimed to predict resiliency, based on cognitive emotion regulation strategies and positive and negative affect in women with breast cancer. Methods: The method of this study was descriptive correlation. The study sample consisted of 120 women with breast cancer that were selected by the purposive sampling method. For gathering data, the Connor and Davidson Resilience Scale, Garnefski et al. cognitive emotion regulation and Diener et al. positive and negative experiences scale were used. Results: The results showed that the positive cognitive emotion regulation strategies, including positive reappraisal strategies, self-blame, taking a positive point of view and re-consideration of planning in four steps, indicated total predicts of 0.65 of resiliency variance (P > 0.001), but positive and negative emotions were not able to predict resiliency. Resiliency with positive cognitive emotion regulation strategies and positive affect had a significant positive correlation, with negative cognitive emotion regulation strategies, while negative affect had a significant negative correlation (P > 0.001). Conclusions: Based on these results, it can be concluded that strengthening positive cognitive emotion regulations should be regarded as a target for interventions and be included in resiliency training programs.