Ecological Momentaty Assessmet of Mood, Affect, and Perceived Criticism: Investigation of Daily Patterns and Family Impact

Perceived criticism (PC) is a component of expressed emotion (EE) that assesses an individual’s perceptions of the criticism that they are exposed to within their interpersonal relationships. PC is elevated among individuals with mood disorders, and mood and mood symptoms act as both a predictor and an outcome of PC. However, few studies have examined the relationship between PC and affect, a more momentary measure of emotion that can serve as a guide to underlying mood. Additionally, limited research has examined how PC within family relationships compares to other interpersonal interactions. Understanding the relationship between momentary affect and PC and exploring how this association varies across different interpersonal contexts may provide additional insights into how affect, mood, and PC can be therapeutically addressed. Therefore, this manuscript used ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to examine how momentary affect is associated with ratings of PC and to explore how this relationship compares across familial and non-familial interpersonal contexts. Generally, negative affect (i.e., irritability and depression) was associated with increases in PC, whereas positive affect (i.e., energy and happiness) was associated with decreases in PC, and individuals rated higher PC in family interactions compared to non-family interactions. State affect (e.g., momentary) ratings, were also more consistently associated with changes in PC compared to trait affect (e.g., summary mood) ratings. However, the relationship between state affect and PC varied across high and low trait affect and across social contexts (e.g., family or non-family). Momentary affect may play a particularly important role in PC, and assessing and intervening on affect may be a beneficial way to reduce criticism and improve social functioning, particularly within family relationships. Understanding general mood may also inform how momentary affect will impact PC and which relationships will be most impacted, allowing individuals to maximize or minimize the impact of momentary affect on PC.