Daily Spiritual Experiences: A Buffer Against the Effects of Daily Perceived Stress on Daily Mood

On the global level, spiritual experiences have been shown to buffer against the negative effects of stress on well-being, but this global analysis does not necessarily capture the daily processes at work. The present project examines the daily associations between Perceived Stress (PSS), Daily Spiritual Experiences (DSE), and Mood (Positive and Negative Affect; PAA), as well as how these associations are impacted by global levels of Religious Practices, Religious Belief, and Daily Spiritual Experiences. Participants were 244 older adults (aged 55-92) who filled out yearly questionnaires and daily assessments. Multilevel modeling tested both within-person daily effects (Level 1) and between-person global effects (Level 2). Results partially support the hypothesis that DSE moderates the negative effects of PSS on same-day affect: there was a significant buffering effect for NA but only a direct effect for PA. Global religiousness and spirituality did not affect the daily parameters.