Abstract
Positive affect is related to people’s health and appears to be a key determinant of happiness throughout the lifespan (Diener & Chan, 2011). Understanding the lifestyle factors that influence daily positive affect has been called for by experts and may identify small changes that people can make to enhance their mood. Physically active working mothers are an important population to study as they deal with time constraints and have lower mental health then their male counterparts. The purpose of this presentation is to report a daily diary study that was conducted with physically active working mothers to determine the relative influence of sleep satisfaction (the night before) and ratings of perceived exertion (RPE: the day of) on their positive affect at end of day. Sixty six women were recruited and had a mean age of 42.6 years, were employed full-time, had a least one child at home and engaged in recommended levels of PA. Variables were assessed using validated scales and were captured via electronic devices and data was analysed using HLM. When both RPE and sleep satisfaction were combined together in the model only RPE showed a significant relationship, t(750) = 3.923, p < .001. Results reveal robust associations between daily levels of physical activity and positive mood and implications for wellness promotion in working mothers are drawn.
