Positive affect (PA) is associated with better health across a wide range of physical health outcomes. This review reflects on why the study of PA is an essential component of our understanding of physical health and expands on pathways that connect these two variables. To encourage forward movement in this burgeoning research area, measurement and design issues in the study of PA and health are discussed, as are the connections between PA and a range of different health outcomes. Plausible biological, social, and behavioral pathways that allow for positive feelings to get under the skin and influence physical wellness are detailed and framed in the context of several theoretical models. Finally, new directions for the field and important methodological and interpretative considerations that are essential to moving this important research area forward are explored.

Reducing the mYPAS to 4 items, creating the mYPAS-SF that can be administered at 2 time points, retained the accuracy of the measure while allowing the instrument to be more easily used in clinical research settings.

Affect variability is related to immune response to an influenza vaccination and, in some cases, interacts with mean levels of affect. These oscillations in affective experiences are critical to consider in order to unpack the intricacies of how affect influences health. These findings suggest that future researchers should consider the important role of affect variability on physical health-relevant outcomes as well as examine the moderating effect of mean affect levels.

Background The Post Hospitalization Behavior Questionnaire (PHBQ) was designed for assessing children’s post-hospitalization and postoperative new-onset behavioral changes. However, the psychometric properties of the scale have not been re-evaluated in the past five decades despite substantial changes in the practice of surgery. In this investigation, we examined the psychometric properties of the PHBQ to potentially increase the efficacy and relevance of the instrument in current perioperative settings. Method This study used principal components analysis, a panel of experts, Cronbach’s alpha, and correlations to examine the current subscale structure of the PHBQ and eliminate items to create the Post Hospitalization Behavior Questionnaire for Ambulatory Surgery (PHBQ-AS). Data from previous investigations (N = 1064, Mage = 5.88) which utilized the PHBQ were combined for the purposes of this paper. Results A principal components analysis revealed that the original subscale structure of the PHBQ could not be replicated. Subsequently, a battery reduction, which utilized principal components analysis and a panel of experts, was used to eliminate the subscale structure of the scale and reduce the number of items from 27 to 11, creating the PHBQ-AS. The PHBQ-AS demonstrated good internal consistency reliability and concurrent validity with another measure of children’s psychosocial and physical functioning. Conclusion Revising the former subscale structure and reducing the number of items in the PHBQ to create the PHBQ-AS may provide a means for reducing the burden of post-operative behavioral assessment through decreasing time of administration and eliminating redundancy of items and allow for more accurate measurement of child postoperative behavioral changes.

Given the known detrimental effects of poor sleep on an array of psychological and physical health processes, it is critical to understand the factors that protect sleep, especially during times of stress when sleep particularly suffers. Positive affect (PA) arises as a variable of interest given its known associations with health and health behaviors and its ability to buffer stress. In 2 studies, we examined which types of PA (distinguished by arousal level and trait/state measurement) were most beneficial for sleep and whether these associations varied depending on the stress context. In Study 1, college students (N = 99) reported on their PA and sleep during the week of a major exam. In Study 2, 2 weeks of daily PA and sleep data were collected during a period with no examinations in a similar sample of students (N = 83). Results indicated that high trait vigor was tied to better sleep efficiency and quality, especially during high stress. Trait calm was generally unhelpful to sleep, and was related negatively to sleep duration. State calm, on the other hand, interacted with stress in Study 2 to predict more efficient day-to-day sleep on days with higher average stress. These findings illustrate the importance of considering arousal level, affect duration, and the stress context in studies of PA and health. (PsycINFO Database Record