Financial hardship and change in emotional well-being before to during COVID-19 pandemic among middle-aged and older Americans: Moderating effects of internal coping resources. (January 2023)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Choi, Shinae L.; Lee, Yoon G.
• Is Part Of: Social science & medicine. Volume 317(2023)
• Publication Date: 2023-01
• Subjects: Coping -- COVID-19 -- Emotional well-being -- Financial hardship -- Mastery -- Optimism; Social medicine -- Periodicals; Medical anthropology -- Periodicals; Public health -- Periodicals; Psychology -- Periodicals; Medicine -- Periodicals; Medicine -- Periodicals; Médecine sociale -- Périodiques; Anthropologie médicale -- Périodiques; Santé publique -- Périodiques; Psychologie -- Périodiques; Médecine -- Périodiques; Electronic journals; 362.105
• DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.115572
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0277-9536

Abstract

Abstract: Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate associations between financial hardship and change in emotional well-being—positive and negative affect—before to during the COVID-19 pandemic among middle-aged and older Americans and to examine the extent to which associations were moderated by internal coping resources—dispositional mastery and optimism. Method: Data derived from the Leave-Behind Questionnaire in the 2016 and 2020 waves of the Health and Retirement Study, a nationally representative longitudinal survey of U.S. adults aged 51 and older ( N = 1312). We estimated multivariate ordinary least squares regression models with interaction terms to evaluate prospectively the benefits of mastery and optimism as internal coping resources for middle-aged and older adults. Results: Dispositional mastery moderated the effects of financial hardship on changes in negative and positive affect, respectively, before to during the COVID-19 pandemic; however, optimism did not significantly moderate the effects of financial hardship on change in negative and positive affect before to during the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusions: Our findings have implications for interventions aimed at improving middle-aged and older adults' emotional well-being by promoting internal coping resources. Specifically, interventions should focus on financial hardship and mastery for vulnerable middle-aged and older adults in the context of public health crises. Highlights: Financial hardship reduced positive affect and increased negative affect. Internal coping resources increased positive affect and reduced negative affect. Mastery moderated the effect of financial hardship on emotional well-being. Mastery protected well-being under conditions of greater financial hardship. Optimism exerted no comparable protective effect on emotional well-being.