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Psychology, Health & Medicine Oct 2022Identifying factors related to healthcare professionals' mental health has become an imperative topic for offering mental health services to foster their psychological...
Identifying factors related to healthcare professionals' mental health has become an imperative topic for offering mental health services to foster their psychological functioning. This study, for the first time, examined the mediating role of optimism and pessimism in the association between parental coronavirus anxiety and depression among Turkish healthcare professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants included 429 healthcare professionals whose age ranged between 22 and 61 years (50.3% female; = 36.65, = 7.0). Results from mediation analysis revealed that parental coronavirus anxiety had a significant predictive effect on optimism, pessimism, and depression. Optimism and pessimism also had significant predictive effects on depression. Most importantly, optimism and pessimism mitigated the adverse impact of parental coronavirus anxiety on healthcare professionals' depression. The findings suggest that optimism is an essential source in reducing depression symptoms in the face of parental coronavirus experiences. Decision-makers and health organizations may integrate strength-based approaches into their guidelines to address parental coronavirus anxiety and depression.
Topics: Adult; Anxiety; COVID-19; Delivery of Health Care; Depression; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Optimism; Pandemics; Parents; Pessimism; Young Adult
PubMed: 34382894
DOI: 10.1080/13548506.2021.1966702 -
Social Science & Medicine (1982) Jan 2023Research on health-related self-uniqueness beliefs suggested that these beliefs might predict adherence to precautions against COVID-19.
RATIONALE
Research on health-related self-uniqueness beliefs suggested that these beliefs might predict adherence to precautions against COVID-19.
OBJECTIVE
We examined if comparative optimism (believing that one is less at less than others), self-superiority (believing that one already adheres better to precautions than others), and egocentric impact perception (believing that adverse events affect oneself more than others) predicted intended adherence to precautions.
METHOD
We measured self-reported intentions, optimism for self and others, perceived past adherence by self and others, and perceived impact of the measures and the disease on self and others in a 5-wave longitudinal study in December 2020-May 2021 (N ≈ 5000/wave). The sample was in key respects representative for the Belgian population. We used joint models to examine the relationship between self-uniqueness beliefs and intended adherence to the precautions.
RESULTS
Believing that COVID-19 would affect one's own life more than average (egocentric impact perception) was associated with higher intentions to adhere to precautions, as was believing that the precautions affected one's life less than average (allocentric impact perception). Self-superiority concerning past adherence to precautions and comparative optimism concerning infection with COVID-19 were associated with higher intended adherence, regardless of whether their non-comparative counterparts (descriptive norm, i.e., perceived adherence to precautions by others, and personal optimism, respectively) were controlled for. Comparative optimism for severe disease and for good outcome were associated with lower intended adherence if personal optimism was not controlled for, but with higher intended adherence if it was controlled for.
CONCLUSION
Self-uniqueness beliefs predict intended adherence to precautions against COVID-19, but do so in different directions.
Topics: Humans; COVID-19; Longitudinal Studies; Self Report; Optimism; Intention
PubMed: 36495770
DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.115595 -
Occupational Medicine (Oxford, England) Feb 2021Keeping and improving work engagement among physicians fighting COVID-19 is important to healthy medical systems. In line with the job demands-resources model, optimism... (Observational Study)
Observational Study
BACKGROUND
Keeping and improving work engagement among physicians fighting COVID-19 is important to healthy medical systems. In line with the job demands-resources model, optimism was expected to positively relate with job resources, leading to higher work engagement. However, the underlying mechanism between optimism, autonomy and work engagement has not been explored.
AIMS
To examine whether optimism has a positive impact on work engagement via autonomy among physicians fighting COVID-19 in China.
METHODS
This study was conducted among physicians in March 2020. A convenience sample was used to recruit physicians from the Wuhan Leishenshan Hospital and Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital. One hundred and four Chinese physicians working in the COVID-19 epidemic completed a survey measuring levels of autonomy, optimism and work engagement. The PROCESS macro (model 4) was used to test hypotheses about mediation.
RESULTS
This current study found that optimism was related to increased autonomy, and autonomy was related to increased work engagement. The results of the bias-corrected bootstrap method suggested the indirect effect of optimism on work engagement via autonomy (Effect = 0.16, SE = 0.08, lower level confidence interval = 0.04, upper level confidence interval = 0.37), indicating a mediated relationship, in which autonomy is one mechanism to explain the link between optimism and increased work engagement.
CONCLUSIONS
This study follows an observational design, with in-depth analysis of the relationship between optimism, autonomy and work engagement. When management implements strategies to improve work engagement among physicians working in the COVID-19 epidemic, the mediating impact of autonomy on the association between optimism and work engagement should be considered.
Topics: Adult; COVID-19; China; Female; Humans; Male; Optimism; Physicians; Professional Autonomy; SARS-CoV-2; Surveys and Questionnaires; Work Engagement; Work Performance
PubMed: 33289031
DOI: 10.1093/occmed/kqaa203 -
World Neurosurgery Dec 2020
Topics: COVID-19; Humans; Optimism; Pessimism; Resilience, Psychological; Stress, Psychological
PubMed: 33227885
DOI: 10.1016/j.wneu.2020.09.133 -
Perspectives in Biology and Medicine 2020The Belmont Report attested to the cardinal importance of informed consent for ethical research on human subjects. Important challenges to securing informed consent have...
The Belmont Report attested to the cardinal importance of informed consent for ethical research on human subjects. Important challenges to securing informed consent have emerged since its publication more than 40 years ago. Among some of the most significant of these challenges are those that highlight social psychological factors that have the potential to impair the appreciation of relevant information disclosed in the informed consent process. Responding to these challenges requires us to think harder about the content of the principle of informed consent and the demands that it imposes on investigators. This article focuses on two challenges in particular, that presented by the so-called therapeutic misconception, and that presented by the psychological bias of unrealistic optimism. After outlining an account of the principle of informed consent as it applies to the research context, the article briefly reviews the empirical literature on the therapeutic misconception and the bias of unrealistic optimism. It then relates these phenomena to the principle of informed consent, paying special attention to the ethical demands they impose on investigators. The article concludes by considering how recent trends to integrate research and clinical care affect the main points it has advanced.
Topics: Biomedical Research; Comprehension; Ethics, Research; Human Experimentation; Humans; Informed Consent; Optimism; Research Subjects; Therapeutic Misconception
PubMed: 33416658
DOI: 10.1353/pbm.2020.0024 -
JPMA. the Journal of the Pakistan... Aug 2023Our elder population has a unique set of needs and necessities, challenges and concerns. This reflects in the approach of geriatric medicine, which aims to ensure...
Our elder population has a unique set of needs and necessities, challenges and concerns. This reflects in the approach of geriatric medicine, which aims to ensure functional freedom and independence, as well as healthy ageing, of older citizens. We propose another, higher, aim of geriatric medicine: that is interdependence. This creates a spirit of optimism, in persons of geriatric age group as well as in their health care providers, who are able to interpret goals of medical care in a broader perspective.
Topics: Humans; Aged; Health Personnel; Optimism
PubMed: 37697777
DOI: 10.47391/JPMA.23-57 -
European Journal of Obstetrics,... May 2020To ascertain the strength of association between dispositional optimism, assessed with the Revised Life Orientation Test (LOT-R), and obstetrical outcomes, and to...
OBJECTIVE
To ascertain the strength of association between dispositional optimism, assessed with the Revised Life Orientation Test (LOT-R), and obstetrical outcomes, and to evaluate women's social characteristics that may lead to low dispositional optimism during pregnancy.
STUDY DESIGN
The research was conducted using MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus, Web of Sciences, Cochrane Database, and ClinicalTrial.gov as electronic databases. The articles were identified with the use of a combination of the relevant heading term, key words, and word variants for: "optimism" or "happiness" and "pregnancy" or "obstetrical outcomes", from the inception of each database to June 2019. Review of articles also included the abstracts of all references retrieved from the search. Randomized, cohort, case-control, or case series were all accepted study designs. Only studies reporting obstetrical outcomes in women undergone LOT-R to assess dispositional optimism during pregnancy were included. Obstetrical outcomes included preterm birth, pre-eclampsia and small for gestational age fetuses. All analyses were carried out using the random effects model. Dichotomous variables were analyzed using the odds ratio (OR) with a 95 % confidence interval (95 % CI). No continuous variables were compared in the analysis. Significance level was set at P < 0.05. Heterogeneity was measured using I-squared (Higgins I).
RESULTS
Two prospective cohort studies, including 3,570 pregnancies undergone LOT-R - mostly during the second trimester - were included in the systematic review. Out of the 3,570 pregnancies included, 411 were in the lowest quartile of optimism, according to LOT-R score. Dispositional optimism showed a trend towards lower incidence of preterm birth (7.6 % vs 9.7 %; OR 0.76, CI 0.53-1.09); no difference between women at higher levels and women in the lowest quartile of optimism was found in preeclampsia and small for gestational age. Women at higher levels of dispositional optimism were significantly associated with: age ≥ 30 years; marriage or "marriage-like status"; lower rates of public assistance and smoking; white ethnicity; higher rates of higher education.
CONCLUSION
There are limited data on optimism and obstetric outcomes. Higher levels of optimism, evaluated by the LOT-R tool in two studies, are associated with a non-significant decrease in preterm birth.
Topics: Adult; Female; Humans; Optimism; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Outcome; Pregnant Women
PubMed: 32203826
DOI: 10.1016/j.ejogrb.2020.03.029 -
PloS One 2022Prior work indicates a robust relationship between coffee consumption and lower depression risk, yet no research has examined links with psychological well-being (e.g.,...
OBJECTIVE
Prior work indicates a robust relationship between coffee consumption and lower depression risk, yet no research has examined links with psychological well-being (e.g., happiness, optimism). This study tested whether coffee intake is prospectively associated with greater psychological well-being over time. Secondarily, associations in the reverse direction were also examined to determine whether initial levels of psychological well-being were related to subsequent coffee consumption.
METHODS
Among women in the Nurses' Health Study, coffee consumption was examined in 1990 and 2002 in relation to sustained levels of happiness reported across multiple assessments from 1992-2000 (N = 44,449) and sustained levels of optimism assessed from 2004-2012 (N = 36,729). Associations were tested using generalized estimating equations with a Poisson distribution adjusted for various relevant covariates. Bidirectional relationships were evaluated in secondary analyses of baseline happiness (1992) and optimism (2004) with sustained moderate coffee consumption across multiple assessments through 2010.
RESULTS
Compared to minimal coffee consumption levels (<1 cup/day), moderate consumption (1-3 cups/day) was unrelated to happiness, whereas heavy consumption (≥4 cups/day) was associated with a 3% lower likelihood of sustained happiness (relative risk, RR = 0.97, 95% CI = 0.95-0.99). Only moderate coffee consumption was weakly associated with a greater likelihood of sustained optimism (RR1-3cups/day = 1.03, 95% CI = 1.00-1.06). Secondary analyses showed high levels of optimism but not happiness levels were modestly associated with increased likelihood of sustained moderate coffee intake (RRoptimism = 1.06, 95% CI = 1.02-1.10; RRhappiness = 1.01, 95% CI = 0.99-1.04).
CONCLUSIONS
Associations between psychological well-being and coffee consumption over up to two decades were largely null or weak. Although coffee consumption may protect individuals against depression over time, it may have limited impact on facets of psychological well-being.
Topics: Coffee; Female; Humans; Optimism; Prospective Studies; Risk Factors; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 35679227
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0267500 -
Psychosomatic Medicine May 2024Sleep quality and duration are important for biological restoration and promotion of psychological well-being. Optimism may facilitate or result from sufficient sleep,...
OBJECTIVE
Sleep quality and duration are important for biological restoration and promotion of psychological well-being. Optimism may facilitate or result from sufficient sleep, but questions remain as to directionality. The present study tested how optimism is associated with levels of and variability in sleep quantity and quality in a longitudinal burst design.
METHODS
Midlife and older women ( N = 199) reported their sleep quantity and quality in online diaries for a 7-day period, every 3 months for 2 years. Optimism was measured at baseline and end-of-study. Multilevel models tested the effects of optimism on sleep. Linear regression models tested the effect of sleep on optimism.
RESULTS
Baseline optimism was associated with higher sleep quality ( γ = 2.13 [1.16 to 3.11], p < .0001) and lower intraindividual variability (IIV; night-to-night and wave-to-wave) in sleep quantity (night-to-night: γ = -0.07 [-0.13 to -0.005], p = .03; wave-to-wave: b = -0.07 [-0.12 to -0.02], p = .003). In turn, higher average sleep quality (but not quantity) was associated with higher optimism at end-of-study ( b = 0.02 [0.007 to 0.03], p = .002). Variability in sleep was unrelated to optimism.
CONCLUSIONS
Optimism may play an important role in maintaining sleep quality and consistency in sleep quantity, perhaps by buffering stress. Similarly, sleep quality may play an important role in maintaining optimism. The cycle whereby optimism and sleep enhance one another could improve physical health and psychological well-being among aging adults.
Topics: Humans; Female; Middle Aged; Optimism; Aged; Aging; Sleep Quality; Longitudinal Studies; Sleep
PubMed: 38193773
DOI: 10.1097/PSY.0000000000001281 -
PloS One 2021Preterm birth(<37 gestational weeks) is associated with numerous adversities, however, data on positive developmental outcomes remain limited. We examined if preterm and... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
AIM
Preterm birth(<37 gestational weeks) is associated with numerous adversities, however, data on positive developmental outcomes remain limited. We examined if preterm and term born(≥37 gestational weeks) adults differ in dispositional optimism/pessimism, a personality trait associated with health and wellbeing. We assessed if birth weight z-score, neurosensory impairments and parental education modified the outcome.
METHODS
We systematically searched PubMed and Web of Science for cohort or case-control studies(born ≥ 1970) with data on gestational age and optimism/pessimism reported using the Life-Orientation-Test-Revised in adulthood(≥18 years). The three identified studies(Helsinki Study of Very Low Birth Weight Adults; Arvo Ylppö Longitudinal Study; Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children) provided data for the two-step random-effects linear regression Individual-Participant-Data meta-analysis.
RESULTS
Preterm and term borns did not differ on optimism(p = 0.76). Preterms scored higher on pessimism than term borns(Mean difference = 0.35, 95%Confidence Interval 0.36, 0.60, p = 0.007), although not after full adjustment. Preterm born participants, but not term born participants, with higher birth weight z-score, had higher optimism scores (0.30 raw score units per standard deviation increase, 95% CI 0.10, 0.49, p = 0.003); preterm vs term x birth weight z-score interaction p = 0.004).
CONCLUSIONS
Preterm and term born adults display similar optimism. In preterms, higher birth weight may foster developmental trajectories promoting more optimistic life orientations.
Topics: Adult; Birth Weight; Female; Gestational Age; Humans; Male; Optimism; Pessimism; Premature Birth
PubMed: 34793498
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0259463