Browsing by Author "Parmelee, Patricia A"
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Item Finding Meaning in Nothingness: How Meaning Management Theory Relates to Death Acceptance in Nonreligious Individuals(University of Alabama Libraries, 2021) Dragan, Deanna Michelle; Allen, Rebecca S.; University of Alabama TuscaloosaThere is a growing trend to focus on the positive rather than on the negative, anxiety-provoking outcomes associated with coping with death, and emerging evidence suggests meaning-related processes may be a primary factor involved in cultivating these positive outcomes. A particular gap in research is the need to explore how nonreligious individuals cope with death awareness, and how theoretical perspectives from this recent positive trend fit or fail to fit the expressed experience of these individuals. Specifically, the present study proposed to gather empirical evidence for the Meaning Management Theory (MMT; Wong, 2007), focusing on how this theoretical model accounted or failed to account for nonreligious participants’ experiences with death. A community-dwelling sample with representation from religiously affiliated and religiously unaffiliated was recruited via a crowd-sourcing platform to complete a battery of measures in this study. Model fit indices were analyzed, and researchers aimed to identify group differences on meaning-related processes in relation to death attitudes in these two groups. The results of this study offer some support for the utility of the Meaning Management Theory, particularly within a sample of nonreligious respondents. Though findings are largely inconclusive for examining group differences, the findings contribute to the literature on how nonreligious individuals cope with death. Lastly, these results could be used to inform future empirical investigations of the Meaning Management Theory and clinical practice by reflecting the importance of understanding the growth-oriented perspective as well as the negative outcomes associated with coping with death.Item The Impact of Perceived Control on Stressor Reactivity Across Adulthood and Late Life(University of Alabama Libraries, 2023) Hill, Kyrsten Costlow; Parmelee, Patricia AObjective: Perceived control has been found to buffer the negative effects of stress on affective well-being, or stressor reactivity. However, there are mixed findings on how these associations change across age. The current study examined the unique effects of global and daily perceived control on daily stressor reactivity and whether this buffering effect differs with age. Method: Data was combined from the second wave of the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) survey and the National Study of Daily Experiences (NSDE), yielding a sample of 2,022 participants ranging in age from 33 to 84 years. Participants completed measures of global perceived control during MIDUS surveys and daily ratings of stress, control, and negative affect during eight NSDE daily diaries. Analyses were conducted using multilevel modeling (MLM) and time-varying effect modeling (TVEM) to examine associations on both a micro and macro timescale, respectively. Results: Negative affect and stressor reactivity decreased across adulthood, followed by upturns starting in the early- to mid-70s. Global control was associated with lower negative affect across age. In MLM but not TVEM analyses, global control was found to moderate, or buffer, stressor reactivity. This buffering effect was age invariant. Daily control did not exhibit significant main or interaction effects in MLM analyses. However, daily control predicted negative affect from ages 41 to 62 and moderated stressor reactivity in the late 60s in TVEM analyses. Conclusions: Findings highlight the complex associations between perceived control and stressor reactivity and emphasize the need for additional research examining both intraindividual variability and intraindividual change in these associations. Directions for future research and clinical implications of the present findings are discussed.Item Momentary Pain-Affect Associations and Moderating Stressful Life Events As Predictors of Global Depression in Osteoarthritis(University of Alabama Libraries, 2023) Behrens, Emily; Parmelee, Patricia AOsteoarthritis (OA), characterized by joint pain, stiffness, and functional limitation, is prevalent among middle-aged and older adults. In addition to physical symptoms, there is a well-documented association between OA and depression. One important avenue of research is identifying modifiable factors contributing to the OA-depression link. Informed by previous research establishing stress as one such factor, this secondary data analysis utilized experience sampling to investigate the impact of stressful experiences on relationships between momentary pain and affect and global depression. Pain and momentary affect levels of 326 older adults with knee OA were collected through phone calls four times daily over a seven-day period. Data for current depression symptoms and the experience and severity of stressful events over the past year were collected in a baseline interview. Participants repeated this protocol one year later. Data from Time 2 was utilized to assess change in depression severity. Experiencing more stressful life events over the past year strengthened the relationship between momentary pain and negative affect but not the pain-positive affect association; this momentary pain-negative affect relationship predicted concurrent depression. The cross-sectional relationship between momentary pain and positive affect was significant. In longitudinal analyses, momentary measures did not predict a change in depression severity over the next year. However, a crossover interaction showed that stronger associations between momentary pain and negative affect place individuals who reported more severe life event stress at risk for increased depression severity. Analyses informed by the Dynamic Model of Affect showed a moderating effect of stressful events on the inverse relationship between positive and negative affect, such that having more stressful experiences weakens this relationship. Results highlight the complexities of how previous stressful events can impact the moment-to-moment experiences of individuals with OA. Clinical implications and future directions for research are discussed