Mengelkoch, S.; Moriarity, D.P.; Novak, A.M.; Snyder, M.P.; Slavich, G.M.; Lev-Ari, S. Using Ecological Momentary Assessments to Study How Daily Fluctuations in Psychological States Impact Stress, Well-Being, and Health. J. Clin. Med.2024, 13, 24.
Mengelkoch, S.; Moriarity, D.P.; Novak, A.M.; Snyder, M.P.; Slavich, G.M.; Lev-Ari, S. Using Ecological Momentary Assessments to Study How Daily Fluctuations in Psychological States Impact Stress, Well-Being, and Health. J. Clin. Med. 2024, 13, 24.
Mengelkoch, S.; Moriarity, D.P.; Novak, A.M.; Snyder, M.P.; Slavich, G.M.; Lev-Ari, S. Using Ecological Momentary Assessments to Study How Daily Fluctuations in Psychological States Impact Stress, Well-Being, and Health. J. Clin. Med.2024, 13, 24.
Mengelkoch, S.; Moriarity, D.P.; Novak, A.M.; Snyder, M.P.; Slavich, G.M.; Lev-Ari, S. Using Ecological Momentary Assessments to Study How Daily Fluctuations in Psychological States Impact Stress, Well-Being, and Health. J. Clin. Med. 2024, 13, 24.
Abstract
Despite great interest in how dynamic fluctuations in psychological states such as mood, social safety, energy, present-focused attention, and burnout impact stress, well-being, and health, most studies examining these constructs use retrospective assessments. Here, we discuss how ecological momentary assessments (EMAs) address methodological issues associated with retrospective reports, able to reveal dynamic associations between psychological states at small timescales that are often missed in stress and health research. In addition to helping researchers characterize daily and within-day fluctuations and temporal dynamics between different health-relevant processes, EMAs can elucidate mechanisms through which interventions reduce stress and enhance well-being. EMAs can also be used to identify changes that precede critical health events, which can in turn be used to inform the delivery of ecological momentary interventions (EMIs of just-in-time interventions) that prevent such events from occurring. To enable this work, this narrative review provides examples of scales and single-item questions used in EMA studies, makes concrete recommendations for researchers seeking to employ EMAs in their research, and discusses limitations of EMA methods. In doing so, we aim to encourage the use of these methods in research given that, when used carefully, EMA methods are well-poised to greatly advance our understanding of how intrapersonal dynamics affect stress levels, well-being, and human health.
Keywords
Ecological Momentary Assessment; Stress; Well-being; Health; Mood; Social safety; Energy; Present-focus; Burnout; EMA
Subject
Public Health and Healthcare, Other
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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