Associations between trait and state perceived stress and daily moods: COVID-19 stressful experiences as a moderator

Abstract

Drastically disrupting daily routines, the global pandemic of COVID-19 has posed critical mental health threats to adolescents and young adults worldwide. Many of the extant empirical findings, however, have focused on individuals’ psychological adjustment during the initial phase of the pandemic. It is less clear how COVID-19 stressful experiences impact young people’s daily lives in the post-pandemic “new normal.” Drawing on 7-day diary reports, the present study fills this gap by examining: (1) how daily perceived stress impacted daily emotional adjustment; and (2) the moderating effects of COVID-19 stressful experiences on these associations among 582 Chinese young adults ( M age = 18.12, SD = .65; 69% females). Results indicated that higher levels of both trait (i.e., average levels) and state (i.e., daily fluctuations) perceived stress were associated with greater negative and anxious moods, and that prior pandemic-related experiences exacerbated the adverse impact of both trait and state perceived stress on daily moods. Specifically, young adults reporting greater COVID-19 stressful experiences demonstrated poorer emotional adjustment (i.e., lower levels of positive mood and higher levels of negative mood) on days when they had more fluctuations in perceived stress; the aggravating impact was stronger when the average levels of perceived stress were higher. By illuminating the moderating effects of COVID-19 stressful experiences, this study contributes to the limited, but burgeoning, research examining the prolonged impact of the COVID-19 health crisis on daily emotional adjustment in post-pandemic life.

Is it a vicious circle and for whom? The reciprocal association between rumination and somatic symptoms and moderation by stress: A daily diary study among Chinese college students

“…The level of COVID‐related stress was reflected by the mean score of the six items, with higher scores indicating more COVID‐related stress. This measure has previously shown good psychometric properties in Chinese college students (Xie et al, 2022). In the present study, Cronbach's α ranged from .89 to .91 across the 7 days.…”

“…These undergraduates started their college studies in fall 2020, a few months after the initial outbreak of the COVID‐19 pandemic in February 2020. Details of the project have been reported in a prior publication (Xie et al, 2022).…”

Protective and risk factors associated with problem behaviors among disadvantaged children and adolescents in rural China during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…This scale (e.g., “I could not get sufficient protective equipment (e.g., masks) during the pandemic”) was rated on a 5-point scale (0 = never , 4 = always ). Psychometric analyses suggested that this scale is well validated among Chinese adolescents and young adults (Xie et al, 2022). Specifically, a series of models were conducted to examine the factor structure of the scale.…”

“…(3) academic-related stressful experiences; and (4) back-to-school related stressful experiences (see the supplemental Research Measures for the full scale). A mean score was used in the study (Xie et al, 2022), with higher scores reflecting more pandemic-related stress experiences. The Cronbach's alpha was .74, suggesting good internal consistency.…”