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Aging & Mental Health Jun 2023The relationship between optimism and cognitive functioning is not fully understood. We examined the association of optimism with risk of mild cognitive impairment (MCI)...
OBJECTIVES
The relationship between optimism and cognitive functioning is not fully understood. We examined the association of optimism with risk of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia in the Women's Health Initiative Memory Study (WHIMS).
METHODS
Optimism was measured by the Life Orientation Test-Revised (LOT-R) total score, and optimism and pessimism subscales. A panel of experts adjudicated cognitive endpoints based on annual cognitive assessments. We used cox proportional hazard regression models to examine the association of LOT-R total score and optimism and pessimism sub-scores with MCI/dementia. We also examined the relationship between vascular disease, LOT-R total score, optimism and pessimism, and cognition.
RESULTS
Mean age was 70.5 (SD = 3.9) years. The sample ( = 7249) was 87% white, and 29.8% of participants had < 12 years of education. Total LOT-R score (HR = 0.96, 95% CI: 0.94, 0.98, < 0.001) was associated with lower risk of combined MCI or dementia. More pessimism (HR = 1.08, 95% CI: 1.05, 1.11, < 0.0001) was associated with higher risk of MCI or dementia after adjustment for ethnicity, education, vascular disease, and depression. No significant relationships emerged from the optimism subscale.
CONCLUSION
These data suggest that less pessimism, but not more optimism, was associated with a lower risk of MCI and dementia.
Topics: Humans; Female; Aged; Postmenopause; Cognitive Dysfunction; Cognition Disorders; Optimism; Dementia; Vascular Diseases
PubMed: 35694859
DOI: 10.1080/13607863.2022.2084710 -
Journal of Vascular Surgery. Venous and... Nov 2017
Topics: Drive; Emotions; Optimism
PubMed: 29037344
DOI: 10.1016/j.jvsv.2017.07.002 -
Journal of American College Health : J... 2023To (1) describe the level of hope, optimism, and gratitude in a sample of minority health professional college students. (2) To examine the association between hope,...
UNLABELLED
To (1) describe the level of hope, optimism, and gratitude in a sample of minority health professional college students. (2) To examine the association between hope, optimism, and gratitude with wellbeing domains.
PARTICIPANTS
One hundred and thirty-two ( = 132) college students from the Nursing, Medicine, and Allied Health programs.
METHODS
Cross-sectional survey study assessed wellbeing across the five domains of positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment.
RESULTS
Mean and Standard Deviation on hope, optimism, and gratitude were 50.2 ± 5.6; 21.7 ± 4.34; and 36.3 ± 5.35, respectively. Hope, optimism, and gratitude were positively associated with domains of wellbeing, controlling for gender and age.
CONCLUSION
Students maintained a positive outlook in life. Hopeful, op6timistic, and grateful students experienced positive emotion, were more engaged in their daily activities, had more supportive relationships, had a better sense of direction in life, and more often accomplished their goals. Interpretations and future directions are discussed.
Topics: Humans; Cross-Sectional Studies; Students; Universities; Optimism; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 34344275
DOI: 10.1080/07448481.2021.1922415 -
American Journal of Preventive Medicine Jan 2019Optimism-the expectation that good things will happen-has emerged as a promising health asset, as it appears to be related to healthier behaviors and reduced disease...
INTRODUCTION
Optimism-the expectation that good things will happen-has emerged as a promising health asset, as it appears to be related to healthier behaviors and reduced disease risk. Growing research finds that higher optimism is associated with lower mortality, yet it is critical to understand whether this prolonged longevity is accompanied by good health. This study tested whether higher optimism was associated with increased likelihood of healthy aging.
METHODS
Prospective data analyzed in 2018 from the Nurses' Health Study included 33,326 women with no major chronic diseases at baseline. Poisson regression models evaluated if optimism was associated with healthy aging 8 years later, considering potential confounders (sociodemographic variables, depression) and intermediate variables (health behaviors). Optimism was assessed in 2004 by validated self-report using mailed questionnaires and healthy aging was assessed in 2012, defined as (1) remaining free of major chronic diseases; (2) having no subjective memory impairment; (3) having intact physical function; and (4) surviving through follow-up.
RESULTS
Overall, 20.5% of women (n=6,823) fulfilled the definition of healthy aging in 2012. After adjusting for sociodemographic factors and depression, the most (top quartile) versus least (bottom quartile) optimistic women had a 23% greater likelihood of healthy aging (95% CI=1.16, 1.30). Associations were similar in white and black participants, although the sample of black women was small (n=354).
CONCLUSIONS
Higher optimism was associated with increased likelihood of healthy aging, suggesting that optimism, a potentially modifiable health asset, merits further research for its potential to improve health in aging.
Topics: Black or African American; Aged; Aging; Female; Health Behavior; Healthy Aging; Humans; Middle Aged; Optimism; Prospective Studies; Surveys and Questionnaires; White People
PubMed: 30573140
DOI: 10.1016/j.amepre.2018.07.037 -
Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews Sep 2017Both optimism bias and reward-related attention bias have crucial implications for well-being and mental health. Yet, the extent to which the two biases interact remains... (Review)
Review
Both optimism bias and reward-related attention bias have crucial implications for well-being and mental health. Yet, the extent to which the two biases interact remains unclear because, to date, they have mostly been discussed in isolation. Examining interactions between the two biases can lead to new directions in neurocognitive research by revealing their underlying cognitive and neurophysiological mechanisms. In the present article, we suggest that optimism bias and reward-related attention bias mutually enforce each other and recruit a common underlying neural network. Key components of this network include specific activations in the anterior and posterior cingulate cortex with connections to the amygdala. We further postulate that biased memory processes influence the interplay of optimism and reward-related attention bias. Studying such causal relations between cognitive biases reveals important information not only about normal functioning and adaptive neural pathways in maintaining mental health, but also about the development and maintenance of psychological diseases, thereby contributing to the effectiveness of treatment.
Topics: Animals; Attention; Brain; Cognition; Humans; Models, Neurological; Optimism; Reward
PubMed: 28780313
DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2017.07.016 -
Addictive Behaviors Apr 2020Adolescents in the criminal justice system, called justice-involved children (JIC), are particularly vulnerable in the modern opioid misuse (OM) epidemic. After release,...
AIM
Adolescents in the criminal justice system, called justice-involved children (JIC), are particularly vulnerable in the modern opioid misuse (OM) epidemic. After release, relapse and overdose occur at higher rates than the general population. The current study assesses optimism and likelihood of P30D consumption of non-prescription or illicit opioids among JIC.
METHODS
The study examines a sample of 79,960 JIC from the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice. Multivariate logistic regression was employed, controlling for gender, race, family income, age, history of mental problems, history of depression, and county of residence.
RESULTS
JIC who reported very low optimism on the final screen had over 8 times the odds of meeting criteria for P30D OM compared to those with high optimism while adjusting for covariates.
CONCLUSIONS
Further research is needed to understand the potential for optimism to serve as a protective factor. Optimism can be developed, and therefore can possibly be incorporated to design novel interventions or integrated into empirically validated treatment programs to precipitate uptake.
Topics: Adolescent; Child; Female; Florida; Humans; Juvenile Delinquency; Male; Opioid-Related Disorders; Optimism; Protective Factors
PubMed: 31838447
DOI: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2019.106226 -
Ugeskrift For Laeger Feb 2016Positive psychiatry (PP) is a field within psychiatry with a particular focus on promoting well-being in people who already have or are at high risk of developing mental... (Review)
Review
Positive psychiatry (PP) is a field within psychiatry with a particular focus on promoting well-being in people who already have or are at high risk of developing mental or physical illness. PP should be considered a supplement to trad-tional psychiatry and a call for therapists in psychiatry to focus on the person as a whole rather than just as a patient. PP is in line with current national and international health policy focus on promoting positive mental health.
Topics: Adaptation, Psychological; Attitude to Health; Humans; Mental Disorders; Mental Health; Optimism; Psychiatry; Quality of Life
PubMed: 26857411
DOI: No ID Found -
Journal of Personality Apr 2021The current exploratory study sought to examine dispositional optimism, or the general expectation for positive outcomes, around the world.
OBJECTIVE
The current exploratory study sought to examine dispositional optimism, or the general expectation for positive outcomes, around the world.
METHOD
Dispositional optimism and possible correlates were assessed across 61 countries (N = 15,185; mean age = 21.92; 77% female). Mean-level differences in optimism were computed along with their relationships with individual and country-level variables.
RESULTS
Worldwide, mean optimism levels were above the midpoint of the scale. Perhaps surprisingly, country-level optimism was negatively related to gross domestic product per capita, population density, and democratic norms and positively related to income inequality and perceived corruption. However, country-level optimism was positively related to projected economic improvement. Individual-level optimism was positively related to individual well-being within every country, although this relationship was less strong in countries with challenging economic and social circumstances.
CONCLUSIONS
While individuals around the world are generally optimistic, societal characteristics appear to affect the degree to which their optimism is associated with psychological well-being, sometimes in seemingly anomalous ways.
Topics: Adult; Female; Humans; Male; Optimism; Personality; Young Adult
PubMed: 32770554
DOI: 10.1111/jopy.12582 -
Psychosomatic Medicine Oct 2021Optimism is modifiable and may be associated with healthy aging. We aim to investigate whether dispositional optimism is associated with all-cause mortality in adults 70...
OBJECTIVE
Optimism is modifiable and may be associated with healthy aging. We aim to investigate whether dispositional optimism is associated with all-cause mortality in adults 70 years and older.
METHODS
Between 2010 and 2014, older adults free of serious cardiovascular disease and dementia were recruited through primary care physicians and enrolled in the Aspirin Reducing Events in the Elderly (ASPREE) clinical trial. Australian ASPREE participants were invited to participate in the ASPREE Longitudinal Study of Older Persons (ALSOP) that was running in parallel to ASPREE. Optimism was assessed at baseline using the Life Orientation Test-Revised. The association between optimism, divided into quartiles, and all-cause mortality was assessed using Cox proportional hazards models.
RESULTS
A total of 11,701 participants (mean [standard deviation] age = 75.1 [4.24] years; 46.6% men) returned the ALSOP Social questionnaire and completed the Life Orientation Test-Revised. During a median follow-up of 4.7 years, 469 deaths occurred. The fully adjusted model was not significant (hazard ratio = 0.78, 95% confidence interval = 0.58-1.06). There was evidence that age was an effect modifier of the association between optimism and longevity. Higher optimism was associated with lower mortality risk in the oldest individuals only (77+ years; hazard ratio = 0.61, 95% confidence interval = 0.39-0.96).
CONCLUSIONS
We observed no independent relationship between optimism and all-cause mortality in the total sample, although optimism seemed to be associated with lower risk among the oldest old (adults 77 years and older).
Topics: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Australia; Cohort Studies; Female; Humans; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Optimism; Personality
PubMed: 34334727
DOI: 10.1097/PSY.0000000000000989 -
Emotion (Washington, D.C.) Oct 2021Gratitude and optimism are positive psychological dispositions associated with beneficial outcomes. To examine their associations with physiological and psychological...
Gratitude and optimism are positive psychological dispositions associated with beneficial outcomes. To examine their associations with physiological and psychological experiences in daily life, we examined data from an Ecological Momentary Assessment study ( = 4,825), including blood pressure, heart rate, and reports of stress, health behaviors, and thoughts. Trait gratitude and trait optimism both predicted lower heart rate and blood pressure, better sleep quality, more exercise, less stress, more positive expectations and reflections, and greater feelings of appreciation toward others. However, gratitude and optimism were not completely overlapping constructs: Gratitude was a stronger predictor of felt appreciation toward others and pleasantness when reflecting on the best part of the day, whereas optimism was a stronger predictor of sleep quality, lower stress, and lower unpleasantness when reflecting on the worst part of the day. These associations reveal both similar and differential influences of positive dispositions on psychological and physiological outcomes that provide insight into health consequences. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
Topics: Ecological Momentary Assessment; Emotions; Exercise; Humans; Optimism; Sleep Quality
PubMed: 34780238
DOI: 10.1037/emo0001025