‘Emotional contagion’ a factor affecting older people’s mental health

What’s going on? A type of behavioral mirroring, what psychologists call “emotional contagion.”

“Just as some people are more likely to contract a respiratory virus through close contact, others are more susceptible to ‘catching’ the emotions of the people around them,” explains psychoeducator Marie-Josée Richer of the Institut universitaire de gériatrie de Montréal. He is affiliated with the Université de Montréal, where he conducted doctoral research on the subject in the elderly.

“A person vulnerable to emotional contamination is particularly sensitive to the emotions of others,” added Pierrich Plusquellec, professor at the UdeM School of Psychoeducation and co-director of the Center for the Study of Human Stress. “This is an adaptive response that occurs unconsciously through imitation of facial expressions, gestures and postures, leading to convergence of emotions.”

For example, “A person with this sensitivity may feel physically tense when they see angry people on television, get teary-eyed when they see someone crying, or feel more joyful when they come into contact with a happy person. To measure sensitivity to emotional contamination, look at a range of emotions: joy, love, anger.” , fear Emotional contagion plays an important role in society because it is the basis of empathy.”

But this vulnerability can be a double-edged sword. It was conducted under the joint supervision of Plusquellec and UdeM psychology professor Sébastien Grenier. PLOS Mental HealthRicher found that susceptibility to emotional contagion was greater among seniors experiencing psychological distress.

“This research was part of my study on resilience in older adults,” he said. “The primary goal was to better understand the factors that influence resilience among seniors to help prevent psychological distress that can have serious impacts on the overall health of seniors, including increased risk of cardiovascular disease, cognitive decline, and increased risk of premature death.”

The study found that, like personality traits, susceptibility to emotional contamination varies from person to person, and is often overlooked in mental health research, especially among the elderly.

170 adults studied

UdeM researchers studied a group of 170 adults aged 55 and over who lived in nursing homes or used the services of community organizations and were dealing with some difficulties. Distress was defined as difficulties, obstacles, or difficult circumstances a person may face, such as grief or conflict with a loved one (explicit distress) or vulnerability to emotional contamination (implicit distress).

The study was part of a larger project evaluating the effects of a program to manage stress and the spread of stress. To be included, participants had to live in a metropolitan area and be interested in group stress management techniques. The researchers sought a large sample that included individuals with varying levels of psychological distress and physical limitations to be representative of the general population.

Data was collected between September 2018 and September 2019. Most of the participants (85 percent) were women. Their ages ranged from 56 to 96, with an average of 76.1 years. Most were born in Canada and lived alone.

Participants were divided into three groups according to the level of psychological distress:

• Nearly 45 percent are sleeping anxiety profileOnly with clinical or subclinical anxiety symptoms.
• Around 20 percent were classified. Anxious depression profilewith clinical or subclinical symptoms of both anxiety and depression.
• Last group, safe profileIt consisted of individuals with no significant symptoms of anxiety or depression.

“We classify symptoms of varying intensity that are strong enough to interfere with a person’s daily life as ‘subclinical’ or ‘clinical,'” Grenier says. he explained. “The symptoms are clinical if they meet the criteria for a formal diagnosis of anxiety or depression. For example, a person with clinical anxiety may have frequent panic attacks, have difficulty leaving the house, and experience social isolation. A person with subclinical anxiety may not have a formal diagnosis. A diagnosis can be made but is daily “There may be physical symptoms and concerns that affect functioning.”

Up to 10 times more symptomatic

Researchers analyzed levels of psychological distress in relation to factors such as gender, age, income, living situation, independence, satisfaction with one’s social network and the way one copes with adversity, as well as an emotional contagion scale that measures the subjects’ sensitivity. about this.

The results show that seniors who are most vulnerable to emotional contamination are 8.5 to 10 times more likely to show symptoms of anxiety or anxious depression than those who are less vulnerable. This finding was independent of other factors such as the individual’s social support or coping strategies.

The researchers say this study marks the first time that susceptibility to emotional contamination has been examined as a predictor of psychological distress in the elderly.

Although they did not establish a cause-effect relationship between susceptibility to emotional contamination and psychological distress, their study highlights the importance of considering both explicit and implicit distress to identify seniors at risk for psychological distress. Researchers argue that risks of emotional contagion should be proactively addressed in shared living environments and caregiving situations, such as senior housing.

They propose developing tools to help individuals most vulnerable to emotional contagion better manage this susceptibility. This can strengthen their psychological resilience and help improve their quality of life. They also recommend future research on moderators of vulnerability to emotional contagion to improve our understanding of the impact of emotional contagion on mental health and help reduce psychological distress in older people..