Longitudinal profiles of affect dynamics in middle and later life: A latent transition analysis

Affect dynamics are key indicators of health and well-being across adulthood, yet little is known about their longitudinal changes and correlates. Combining mean levels and daily variability, this study examined latent profiles of affect dynamics and patterns of profile transitions over a 10-year span among middle-aged and older adults. We examined longitudinal data from the Midlife in the United States study, consisting of the second and third waves of daily diary assessments (National Study of Daily Experiences). The analytic sample included 950 U.S. adults with 7,222 days for Wave 2 and 7,580 days for Wave 3 (mean age at Wave 2 = 53 years, range: 34-81; 58% women; 86% White). Two affect dynamic indicators-affective variability and affect mean levels-were derived from eight daily dairy interviews at each wave. Latent profile analyses identified three profiles of affect dynamics: stable positivity, moderately variable, and highly variable negativity. Latent transition analysis revealed that all profiles exhibited moderate transition stability, with individuals generally transitioning toward less variable affectivity profiles 10 years later. Older age was associated with more stable and favorable affectivity profiles, whereas higher depressive symptoms and greater number of chronic conditions were associated with more variable and unfavorable affectivity profiles. These findings highlight the dual aspects of aging in affective well-being, including the benefits of improved affective stability and regulation with age and persistent vulnerabilities contributing to individual differences in affect dynamics. Our study underscores the importance of examining multiple affect dynamic indicators simultaneously to capture the complexity of longitudinal changes in affect dynamics. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).