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Dispositional Optimism (dispositional + optimism)
Selected AbstractsAdult attachment dimensions and recollections of childhood family context: associations with dispositional optimism and pessimismEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PERSONALITY, Issue 3 2004Kati Heinonen The present study tested the theoretically inferred but not yet empirically tested association between dispositional optimism,pessimism and attachment security among 423 Finnish women and men. A second-order latent variable representing a generalized representation of attachment insecurity in close relationships that included two latent constructs, the one representing romantic adult attachment dimensions and the other representing recollections of attachment-related childhood family relationship, was associated with greater pessimism; the adult attachment dimension of high anxiety had unique and additional explanatory power, not accounted for by the generalized representation of attachment-related insecurity. The model explained 48% of the variance in pessimism. The results clearly emphasize that additional studies are needed to clarify the role of interpersonal processes in dispositional optimism,pessimism. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Preschool children with and without developmental delay: behaviour problems, parents' optimism and well-beingJOURNAL OF INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY RESEARCH, Issue 8 2005B. L. Baker Abstract Background Children with intellectual disability are at heightened risk for behaviour problems, and these are known to increase parenting stress. This study explored the relation of behaviour problems to less child-related domains of parent well-being (depression and marital adjustment), as well as the moderating effect of a personality trait, dispositional optimism. Method Participating children (N = 214) were classified as developmentally delayed, borderline, or nondelayed. Mothers' and fathers' well-being and child behaviour problems were assessed at child ages 3 and 4 years. Results Parents of delayed and nondelayed preschoolers generally did not differ on depression or marital adjustment, but child behaviour problems were strongly related to scores on both measures. Optimism moderated this relationship, primarily for mothers. When child behaviour problems were high, mothers who were less optimistic reported lower scores on measures of well-being than did mothers who were more optimistic. Conclusions Interventions for parents that aim to enhance both parenting skills and psycholog- ical well-being should be available in preschool. It may be beneficial for such programmes to focus not only on behaviour management strategies aimed at child behaviour change, but also on parents' belief systems, with the aim of increasing dispositional optimism. [source] Coping-related Expectancies and Dispositions as Prospective Predictors of Coping Responses and SymptomsJOURNAL OF PERSONALITY, Issue 4 2000Salvatore J. Catanzaro We used Rotter's (1954, 1982) social learning theory and Kirsch's (1985, 1999) response expectancy extension thereof to clarify distinctions between coping-related expectancies (beliefs about the outcomes of coping efforts) and coping dispositions (tendencies to use particular coping responses), specifically focusing on the role of generalized expectancies for negative mood regulation (NMR) as a predictor of individual differences in coping and well-being. Two studies using structural equation modeling provided support for direct and indirect associations between NMR expectancies and symptoms of depression. In Study 1 NMR expectancies predicted situational avoidance coping responses and symptoms of depression and anxiety, independent of dispositional avoidance coping tendencies. In Study 2, NMR expectancies were associated with depressive symptoms, concurrently and prospectively, independent of dispositional optimism and pessimism. Both studies indicated that NMR expectancies are more strongly associated with depressive symptoms than with symptoms of anxiety and physical illness. Results underscore the importance of distinguishing between expectancies and other personality variables related to coping. [source] Psychosocial functioning and career decision-making in Israeli adolescent and young adult cancer survivors,,PEDIATRIC BLOOD & CANCER, Issue 4 2010Marilyn Stern PhD Abstract Objectives This study examined how dispositional optimism, health vulnerability, and time perspective were related to adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer survivors' career decision-making (CDM) and quality of life (QOL). Secondarily, how cultural factors relate to CDM and QOL among Israeli-Jewish and Israeli-Arab cancer survivors was explored. Methods Fifty-one cancer survivors (68.6% females, 80.4% Israeli-Jewish, 19.6% Israeli-Arab, Mage,=,21.45 years), at least 6 months post-active treatment (Mtime,=,5.75 years) completed self-report questionnaires. Results Multiple regression analyses indicated that optimism, vulnerability, and past negative, present fatalistic, and future time perspective were significantly associated with QOL (F(6, 47),=,6.80, P,<,0.001) and CDM (F(6, 47),=,2.46, P,<,0.04). Perceived vulnerability explained the main portion of QOL variance with greater vulnerability associated with lowered QOL (,,=,0.33, P,<,0.001). Optimism was positively associated with QOL (,,=,0.55, P,<,0.02). Greater present fatalistic time perspective was associated with greater CDM difficulties (,,=,0.32, P,<,0.05). Multivariate analyses indicated greater past negative time perceptions (F(1, 46),=,8.92, P,<,0.005) and fatalism about the future (F(1, 46),=,5.90, P,<,0.02) among Israeli-Arabs as compared to Israeli-Jewish survivors. Israeli-Jewish survivors were more optimistic than Israeli-Arab survivors (F(1, 46),=,3.48, P,<,0.065). Conclusions Vulnerability, optimism, and time perspective were significantly associated with QOL and CDM among Israeli AYA cancer survivors. Israeli-Arabs viewed their pasts and futures more negatively and reported lower optimism than Israeli-Jews. Implications for future research and interventions were considered. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2010;55:708,713. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Parental optimism in poor prognosis pediatric cancersPSYCHO-ONCOLOGY, Issue 7 2009Lillian Sung Abstract Objective: The objectives were to describe parent-rated and physician-rated prognosis in a wide range of pediatric cancers and to describe the prevalence and predictors of parental prognostic optimism in poor prognosis pediatric cancer patients. Methods: This Canadian multi-institutional cross-sectional study included children with cancer receiving any type of active treatment. The primary caregiver rated child prognosis on a 5-point categorical rating scale. For each child, five pediatric oncologists rated prognosis according to child- and disease-related characteristics. Results: Of the 395 included families, 42 (10.6%) of parents rated prognosis as excellent or very good for children in whom physicians rated prognosis as poor. In multiple regression analysis, in comparison to parents of children with leukemia and lymphoma, parents of children with solid tumors (odds ratio (OR) 11.3, 95% CI 4.6, 27.8; P=0.0009) and brain tumors (OR 7.5, 95% CI 2.7, 21.1; P=0.09), parents of children with relapsed disease (OR 10.7, 95% CI 3.6, 31.3; P<0.0001) and parents with greater dispositional optimism (OR 1.1, 95% CI 1.0, 1.2; P=0.008) were more likely to have optimistic prognostic estimates in the setting of physician-rated poor prognosis. Conclusion: Approximately 10% of parents have optimistic prognostic estimates in the setting of physician-rated poor prognosis. Families of children with solid tumors and relapsed cancer and parents who were more optimistic were more likely to be optimistic in the poor prognosis setting. More research is needed to understand the impact of such discrepancies in prognosis on processes and outcomes. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Predictors of breast cancer-related distress following mammography screening in younger women on a family history breast screening programmePSYCHO-ONCOLOGY, Issue 12 2008K. Brain Abstract Objective: This longitudinal study investigated pre-screening factors that predicted breast cancer-specific distress among 1286 women who were undergoing annual mammography screening as part of a UK programme for younger women (i.e., under 50) with a family history of breast cancer. Methods: Women completed questionnaires one month prior to screening, and one and six months after receiving screening results. Factors measured were breast cancer worry, perceived risk, cognitive appraisals, coping, dispositional optimism, and background variables relating to screening history and family history. Results: Pre-screening cancer worry was the most important predictor of subsequent worry, explaining 56/61% and 54/57% of the variance at one and six months follow-up, respectively. Other salient pre-screening predictors included high perceived risk of breast cancer, appraisals of high relevance and threat associated with the family history, and low perceived ability to cope emotionally. Women who had previously been part of the screening programme and those with a relative who had recently died from breast cancer were also vulnerable to longer-term distress. A false positive screening result, pessimistic personality, and coping efforts relating to religion and substance use predicted outcomes of screening at one month follow-up, but were not predictive in the longer-term. Conclusion: Early intervention to ameliorate high levels of cancer-related distress and negative appraisals would benefit some women as they progress through the familial breast screening programme. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] | |||||||||||||