TITLE:
A Longitudinal Analysis of the Relationship between Positive and Negative Affect and Health
AUTHORS:
Tamara Ambrona, Belén López-Pérez
KEYWORDS:
Positive Affect, Negative Affect, Health
JOURNAL NAME:
Psychology,
Vol.5 No.8,
June
11,
2014
ABSTRACT: The present
article analyses the influence of positive and negative affect on health. The sample
consists of 113 first-year undergraduates (76.1% female, 21.2% male and 2.7% unknown),
with an age range of 18 to 27 years (M = 19.12, SD = 1.77). Participants were asked
to fill out the Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS), physical health was
measure with one scale of the General Health Survey (SF-20), one month and one year
later of filling out the PANAS. We used a structural equation modelling to test
longitudinal relationships between positive and negative affect and health. As we
expected, PA and NA predicted health measured one month later and one year later,
respectively. Longitudinal analyses over successive 1-month and 1-year intervals
revealed reciprocal effects between health and negative and positive affect. The
implications for research on health and emotions are discussed.