Towards an idiothetic understanding of the role of social problem solving in daily event, mood and health experiences: a prospective daily diary approach.
OBJECTIVE
Utilising D'Zurilla's (1986, 1990) transactional social problem solving model as the theoretical framework, the present study sought to examine the dynamics of the social problem solving process in relation to intraindividual experiences of events, mood, and physical health in daily life.


METHODS
The study incorporated both idiographic and nomothetic strategies, combining a daily diary approach within a prospective design. As such, each individual's experience of events, mood, and health were assessed on a daily basis, and the prospective relations between social problem solving and these day-to-day experiences examined.


METHODS
Participants' (university students) completed a measure of social problem solving at baseline followed, approximately 5 weeks later, by daily self-reports of mood (positive & negative), events (hassles & uplifts), and physical health (health status & URI symptoms) for a period of 14 days. The data were analysed using multilevel hierarchical modelling.


RESULTS
Days on which individuals had greater than their average hassles were associated with higher negative and lower positive mood (i.e. domain specific & cross-over effects), whilst greater uplifts were linked to positive mood only. With regard to health, individuals reported worse status and more URI symptoms on days with greater than their average negative (hassles, negative mood) but not positive influences (uplifts, positive mood). Both social problem solving orientations and skills dimensions were associated prospectively with daily health outcomes, and these relationships were not moderated by day-to-day experiences of mood or events.


CONCLUSIONS
The data clarify the importance of social problem solving to within-person daily event, mood, and health experiences. The implications of these findings for contemporary transactional social problem solving models are discussed.
Baker
Sarah R
SR
Department of Oral Health and Development, School of Clinical Dentistry, University of Sheffield, UK. s.r.baker@sheffield.ac.uk
D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D003071:Cognition; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D015233:Models, Statistical; D011340:Problem Solving; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012919:Social Behavior; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires