The last of the ESM/EMA literature for 2016 is in. Check out December’s articles under the following topics:
- Adolescent Studies
- Alcohol & Drugs
- General Psychological Topics
- Medical Topics
- Organizational/Work Psychology
- Physical Activity
- Psychopathy
- Psychotherapy
- Statistics/Methodology
Adolescent Studies
This study utilized experience sampling methodology to measure time alone, time with friends, and time in front of a screen for same-sex biological siblings with differing weights. They found that the zBMI’s of the participant’s friends predicted their own zBMI, their own sugar sweetened beverage consumption, and time engaged in sedentary behaviors. This study showed that friends’ weights and social contexts influence the difference in weights between biological siblings.
This study assessed the utility of a mobile phone app for an EMA study by monitoring mood, problems, and coping efficacy in 208 participants aged 15-18. They found that engagement with the app was low, but the EMA data appeared valid and useful for studying daily problems, coping efficacy, and mood states.
Alcohol & Drugs
In this experience sampling study, factors that predict prescription drug misuse were analyzed in individuals from romantic couples. They found that alcohol problems, dysphoria symptoms, and relationship closeness was related to an increased likelihood of misuse in female participants, while illicit drug use and relationship closeness were also related to an increased likelihood of misuse in male participants. However, dysphoria symptoms were related to a decreased likelihood of drug misuse in males.
General Psychological Topics
In this future EMA study, the feasibility of a smartphone application will be studied by analyzing children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). They will study the quality of life and anxiety of the parents and also the children’s functional symptoms.
This study used EMA to study appearance comparisons, mood, diet, appearance satisfaction, and exercise in 126 female undergraduate students. They found that upward appearance comparisons were common and if they happened through social media, rather than in person, then mood and appearance comparisons were more negative.
This 7 day EMA study investigated pain intensity and pain interference 5 times a day in 128 people with chronic pain and spinal cord injury. They found that pain acceptance moderates the relationship between pain intensity and interference and the relationship between pain intensity and physical activity.
Medical Topics
In this future EMA study, the feasibility of a smartphone application will be studied by analyzing children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). They will study the quality of life and anxiety of the parents and also the children’s functional symptoms.
This study used EMA to study appearance comparisons, mood, diet, appearance satisfaction, and exercise in 126 female undergraduate students. They found that upward appearance comparisons were common and if they happened through social media, rather than in person, then mood and appearance comparisons were more negative.
This 7 day EMA study investigated pain intensity and pain interference 5 times a day in 128 people with chronic pain and spinal cord injury. They found that pain acceptance moderates the relationship between pain intensity and interference and the relationship between pain intensity and physical activity.
Organizational/Work Psychology
Daily Negative Work Events and Employees’ Physiological and Psychological Reactions.
This experience sampling study examined work stressors and employees’ health. They found that reported negative work events predicted employees’ psychological responses, but not their endocrine stress responses.
This study used EMA to measure exhaustion levels, rejuvenation strategies, and end-of-day job satisfaction/quitting intentions in childcare teachers. They found that emotional exhaustion positively predicted quitting intentions, while overall job satisfaction negatively predicted quitting intentions.
Physical Activity
Self-control strength and physical exercise: An ecological momentary assessment study
This EMA study measured the relationship between self-control strength and physical exercise in 63 students aged 19-32. They found that self-control strength was positively related to physical exercise, and this relationship was more pertinent in individuals with low trait self-control.
Psychopathology
This study analyzed 12 different EMA studies regarding individuals with schizophrenia and emotion. They found that people with schizophrenia have more negative and less positive emotion than the healthy control participants did.
This daily diary study monitored emotion regulation strategies and substance use in over 1500 college students. They found that daytime distraction, reappraisal, and problem solving predicted lower evening uses of marijuana, while evening marijuana use and heavy drinking predicted lower next-day problem solving and higher next-day use of marijuana and avoidance strategies.
This EMA study analyzed individuals with schizophrenia to see how well EMA can assess negative symptoms in daily life. They found that working memory impairments in schizophrenia can affect the recall of symptoms, so EMA is a better alternative to retrospective surveys since it minimizes recall time. They also found that negative symptoms were related to poor performance on an effort task.
This study utilized EMA to assess the relationship between restrictive eating and affect in women with anorexia nervosa. They found that restrictive eating lessened guilt, while negative/positive affect did not vary relative to restrictive eating. However, in individuals with the anorexia nervosa restricting subtype, positive affect decreased before restrictive eating and self-assurance increased afterwards.
Reactivity to social stress in ethnic minority men.
This study implemented experience sampling methodology to investigate whether or not Moroccan-Dutch men respond stronger than Dutch men to social stress. They found that there was no significant difference between responses and that Moroccan-Dutch men are not more sensitive than Dutch men to social stress.
In this experience sampling study, factors that predict prescription drug misuse were analyzed in individuals from romantic couples. They found that alcohol problems, dysphoria symptoms, and relationship closeness was related to an increased likelihood of misuse in female participants, while illicit drug use and relationship closeness were also related to an increased likelihood of misuse in male participants. However, dysphoria symptoms were related to a decreased likelihood of drug misuse in males.
In this future EMA study, the feasibility of a smartphone application will be studied by analyzing children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). They will study the quality of life and anxiety of the parents and also the children’s functional symptoms.
A process-oriented perspective examining the relationships among daily coping, stress, and affect.
This daily diary study collected data regarding the most bothersome event from each day and how the participant used coping strategies to deal with the event. They found that various coping strategies related to affect differently depending on the characteristics of the event and the individual. Additionally, meaning-making was related to higher positive and negative affect.
In this experience sampling study, 45 adults with childhood trauma reported everyday mentation. They found that unresolved/disorganized attachment did not predict mind wandering, contrary to their predictions.
The bidirectional associations between state anger and rumination and the role of trait mindfulness.
This experience study analyzed 200 college students’ current ruminative thinking and angry mood for a week. They found that state anger and rumination predicted each other, previous anger did not predict current rumination, and previous rumination predicted current anger. Additionally, state rumination was a mediator between trait mindfulness and state anger, while trait mindfulness was a mediator between state rumination and anger.
Psychotherapy
This mobile based experience sampling study monitored emotional changes from 11 individuals for over a month. The individuals confirmed that the app was functional, usable, and realistic for monitoring emotional mental health.
This future study will implement SMASH (systems across health-related domains) in an ambulatory assessment to investigate the effectiveness of computer-based mindfulness training and the complex temporal interdependencies across many domains. This 40 day ambulatory assessment hopes to analyze self-control and gain a better understanding of how individual interventions can be used.
Statistics/Methodology
In this ambulatory assessment study, they analyzed location-based sampling schemes and temporal based sampling schemes. They found that location-based sampling strategies triggered a report less often, but also triggered more reports at rarely visited areas. The location-based sampling obtained a larger spatial spread than other strategies that are just based on time and distance.
This EMA study analyzed whether or not just-in-time intervention elements enhanced outcomes more than random intervention reminders. They found that individuals who received the just-in-time reminders had less negative affect, less alcohol consumption, less smoking, better sleep quality, experienced lower stress severity, and experienced stressful events less frequently than both the control group and the group receiving random reminders.