Sponsored by the National Institute on Aging                                                                                                           May 17, 2008
Main page for MIDUS website
Information on MIDUS I
Information on MIDUS II
Products using the MIDUS Data
MIDUS Data
MIDUS Pilot Program
Findings From MIDUS Study
Other links of interest

David M. Almeida, Ph.D
Professor of Human Development and Family Studies
Department of Human Development and Family Studies
The Pennsylvania State University
118 Henderson Building
University Park, PA 16802
Website: http://www.hhdev.psu.edu/hdfs/faculty/almeida.html
Email: dma18@psu.edu


Education

Research

Dr. David M. Almeida is a life-span developmental psychologist with a primary focus on stress and coping during middle adulthood. His research interests center on the general question of how daily experiences within the family and other social contexts, such as work and leisure, influence individual health and well-being. In contrast to research on major life events such as marital disruption and job loss, he is interested in the health effects of everyday stressors and fulfillments such as work deadlines and family interactions. One theme of this enterprise examines the ways that daily experiences affect individuals. His research shows that minor daily stressors exert their influence not only through separate direct effects on emotional and physical functioning but also by accumulating over time and across different contexts to create persistent irritations and frustrations that result in more serious stress reactions such as anxiety and depression. A second general theme of his research addresses how sociodemographic and individual factors influence exposure to daily experiences. Central to this idea is that daily stressors do not occur randomly and that the emotional and physical concomitants of experiencing stressors are not simply a matter of chance or bad luck. Sociodemographic factors such as income and social networks play a part in creating the types of daily environments and thus the experiences that individuals are likely to face. Individual factors, such as genetic endowment, personality, role commitments, and personal goals, direct people in their selection of and efficacy in daily activities. The third theme considers individual differences in emotional and physical reactivity to daily experiences. For example, some people become very distressed when they are faced with increased work responsibilities and demands, whereas others do not. In his research, he is beginning to explore how structural and individual factors in concert relate to this differential reactivity.

Presently, he serves the Editorial Boards of the Journal of Health and Social Behavior and Psychology and Aging.

Current Publications

Almeida, D. M., & Wong, J. D. (in press). Life transition and stress: A life course perspective on daily stress processes. In G. H. Elder & J. Z. Giele (Eds.), The craft of life course research. New York: Guilford Press.

Aronson, K., Almeida, D. M., Stawski, R., Kline, L., & Kozlowski, L. T. (in press). Smoking is associated with worse mood on stressful days: Results of a national diary study. Annals of Behavioral Medicine.

Neupert, S.D., Stawski, R.S., & Almeida, D.M. (in press). Considerations for sampling time in aging research. To appear In S. M. Hofer & D. F. Alwin (Eds.), The Handbook of Cognitive Aging: Interdisciplinary Perspectives. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.

Savla, J., Almeida, D. M., & Zarit, S. (in press). Routine assistance to parents: Effects on daily mood and other stressors. Journals of Gerontology: Social Sciences.

Stawski, R. S., Sliwinski, M. J., Almeida, D. M., & Smyth, J. M. (2008). Reported exposure and emotional reactivity to daily stressors: The roles of adult-age and global perceived stress. Psychology and Aging, 23, 52-61.

Charles, S. T., & Almeida, D. M. (2007). Genetic and environmental effects on daily life stressors: More evidence for greater variation in later life. Psychology and Aging, 22, 331-340.

Neupert, S. D., Almeida, D. M., & Charles, S. T. (2007). Age differences in reactivity to daily stressors: The role of personal control. Journal of Gerontology, 62B, 216-225.

Almeida, D. M., Serido, J., & McDonald, D. (2006). Daily life stressors of early and late baby boomers. In S. K. Whitbourne & S. L. Willis (Eds.), The Baby Boomers Grow Up: Contemporary Perspectives on Midlife (pp. 165-183). New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Charles, S. T., & Almeida, D. M. (2006). Daily reports of symptoms and negative affect: Not all symptoms are the same. Psychology and Health, 21(1), 1-17.

Neiss, M. & Almeida (2004). Age differences in the heritability of mean and intraindividual variation of psychological distress.  Gerontology, 50, 22-27.

Birditt, K., S., Fingerman, K., L., & Almeida, D. M (2005).  Age differences in exposure and reactions to interpersonal tensions:  A daily diary study.  Psychology and Aging.

Charles, S, & Almeida, D. M., (in press). The Relation between Health and Negative Affect: Not all symptoms are created equal. Manuscript to appear in Psychology and Health.

Almeida, D. M.  & McDonald, D. (2005). The time Americans spend working for pay, caring for families, and contributing to communities.  In J. Heymann (Ed.) Unfinished Work:  Balancing equality and democracy in an era of working families (pp. 180-203).  New York: The New Press.  

Almeida, D.M. (2005).  Resilience and vulnerability to daily stressors assessed via diary methods.  Current Directions in Psychological Science, 14, 64-68.

Almeida, D.M., Neupert, S.D., Banks, S.R., & Serido, J. (2005). Do daily stress processes account for socioeconomic health disparities? Journals of Gerontology: Social Sciences.

Mallars, M. C., Almeida, D. M., & Neupert, S. D. (2005). Women’s daily physical health symptoms and stressful experiences across adulthood.  Psychology and Health, 20, 389-403.

Almeida, D. M., (2004) Using daily diaries to assess temporal friction between work and family.  In A. C. Crouter & A. Booth (Eds.), Work-family challenges for low income parents   and their children.  Hillsdale, NJ, Lawrence Earlbaum Associates (127-136).

Almeida, D. M., & Horn, M. C. (2004).  Is daily life more stressful during middle adulthood?  In O.G. Brim, C. D. Ryff & R. C. Kessler (Eds.), How healthy are we?  A national study of well being at midlife (pp 425-451).  Chicago:  The University of Chicago Press.

McDonald, D.A., & Almeida, D.M. (2004).  The interweave of fathers daily work experiences and fathering behaviors.  Fathering, 2, 235-251.

Grzywacz, J. G., Almeida, D. M., Neupert, S. D., Ettner, S. L. (2004). Socioeconomic status and health:  A microlevel analysis of exposure and vulnerability to daily stressors. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 45, 1-16. 

Mroczek, D. K, & Almeida, D. M. (2004).  The effect of daily stress, personality, and age on daily negative affect. Journal of Personality, 72(2), 355-378. 

Neiss, M. & Almeida (2004). Age differences in the heritability of mean and intraindividual variation of psychological distress.  Gerontology, 50, 22-27.

Serido, J., Almeida, D. M. & Wethington, E. (2004). Chronic stressors and daily hassles:Unique and interactive relationships with psychological distress.  Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 45, 17-33. 

Almeida, D. M., Wethington, E., & Kessler, R. C. (2002). The Daily Inventory of Stressful Experiences (DISE): An interview-based approach for measuring daily stressors. Assessment, 9, 41-55.