Choi SL, Lee YG. 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.
Soc Sci Med 2023;
317:115572. [PMID:
36473337 PMCID:
PMC9683862 DOI:
10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.115572]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2022] [Revised: 11/10/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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.
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