DAILY STRESS, CORTISOL DYSREGULATION, AND SCREEN TIME IN MIDLIFE AND OLDER ADULTS - Findings from the MIDUS Study

Sep 29, 2026

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Digital engagement’s link to daily psychological stress and physiological regulation in midlife and older adults is examined using the SAVI model and MIDUS Refresher 1. Data from 542 participants with 8-day daily diaries and a cortisol subset across 4 days test within-person effects via multilevel models controlling age, sex, health, chronic conditions, and weekday/weekend variation. Same-day stress relates to neither social media use nor TV watching. Higher stress and a flatter cortisol slope predict less next-day TV time, while same-day cortisol effects are not significant. Poor self-rated health reduces screen time; older age increases overall TV viewing.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages1

Reading Time3 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Background and model

Methods and analyses

Key findings

Implications for media use

FAQs

What relationship did the study find between same-day stress and screen behaviors?

Same-day stress showed no association with social media use or TV watching. Stress was only marginally linked to less TV viewing the next day.

How did cortisol dysregulation relate to next-day screen time?

A flatter cortisol slope predicted reduced TV time on the next day, but the effect size was small. Same-day cortisol effects were not significant.

Did age or health influence screen time patterns?

Older adults watched more TV overall, and age did not moderate stress or cortisol effects. Poor self-rated health was consistently associated with lower screen time.

Sep 29, 2026

Upload by Bintang