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Abstract
Introduction
Previous research highlighted the importance of investigating distinct protective factors that predict the experience of positive emotions during stressful situations, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. In this longitudinal study, we specifically focused on positive expectancies towards the future (optimism, response expectancy, and response hope) in relation to the experience of positive emotions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our primary objectives were to identify the best predictors for experiencing short-term and long-term positive emotions and investigate their interrelationships.
Methods
Data from 271 participants (average age = 29.2 years, 84.7% female) were analyzed using four cross-lagged models.
Results
Results showed that response expectancy was the best predictor for experiencing positive emotions in the short term, while optimism was the best predictor for experiencing positive emotions in the long term. Additionally, through further exploratory analysis, multiple bidirectional relationships were identified between positive expectancies and positive emotions.
Discussion
Our results highlight the significant role played by positive expectancies in predicting the experience of positive emotions. Specifically, dispositional optimism emerged as a stronger predictor of longer-term positive emotions, whereas response expectancy proved to be a better predictor of shorter-term positive emotions. Thus, interventions targeting positive expectancies have the potential to enhance emotional functioning in individuals during challenging situations like the COVID-19 pandemic.
HIGHLIGHTS
Response expectancy positively predicts positive emotions in the short term.
Optimism positively predicts positive emotions in the long term.
Response expectancy positively predicts optimism in the short and long term.
Response expectancy positively predicts response hope in the short term.
Response hope negatively predicts optimism in the short and long term.
Positive emotions positively predict positive expectancies (response expectancy, response hope, and optimism) on short term.
The discrepancy score negatively predicts positive emotions in the short term.
The discrepancy score negatively predicts optimism in the short and long term.
CRediT authorship contribution statement
Petronela Predatu: Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Methodology, Project administration, Software, Validation, Visualization, Writing - original draft, Writing - review & editing.
Daniel David: Conceptualization, Methodology, Project administration, Resources, Supervision, Validation, Writing - review & editing.
Irving Kirsch: Conceptualization, Methodology, Supervision, Validation, Writing - review & editing.
Stelian Florean: Data curation, Formal analysis, Methodology, Software, Visualization, Writing - review & editing.
Razvan Predatu: Conceptualization, Methodology, Project administration, Validation, Writing - review & editing.
Data
The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, [DD], upon reasonable request.
Disclosure statement
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Ethical approval
All procedures performed in this study involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.
Informed consent
Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.
Correction Statement
This article was originally published with errors, which have now been corrected in the online version. Please see Correction https://doi.org/10.1080/08870446.2024.2345021