Unique Associations of Sadness and Anger Intensity and Variability with Perceived Stress in Old Age: The Role of Perceived Control

Discrete emotion theories postulate that sadness and anger exert unique consequences in older adulthood. Anger intensity was associated with increased stress over time for older adults with low control, whereas the opposite relation was found for their high control counterparts. Anger, but not sadness, variability predicted longitudinal increases in stress.