Associations between Daily Stressors, Health, and Affective Responses among Older Adults: The Moderating Effect of Age

Introduction: Reactivity to daily stressors may change as a function of stressor type and age. However, prior research often excludes older adults or compares them to younger age groups (e.g., younger and middle-aged adults). Recognizing older adults as a heterogeneous population with shifting motivations, this study focused on individuals aged ≥65 years and tested age differences in associations between different types of daily stressors, affect, and physical symptoms. Methods: A total of 108 older adults aged 65–92 years (M = 73.11, SD = 5.92; 58% women) completed daily dairy questionnaires on daily stressors, positive and negative affect, and physical symptoms for 14 consecutive days. Multilevel models were employed, adjusting for sex, age, education, living situation, and day-in-study. Results: Findings revealed age-dependent variations in the associations between daily stressors and affect and physical symptoms. Specifically, external stressors (e.g., finance and traffic stressors) and health stressors were more strongly associated with daily affective states and with overall physical symptoms (respectively) among older age adults. Age did not moderate associations between social stressors and affect or physical symptoms. Conclusion: These findings underscore the heterogeneous nature of older adults’ responses to daily stressors based on stressor type and age. Specifically, the oldest-old might benefit from personalized support for dealing with challenges such as health and financial stressors.