Changes in optimism are associated with changes in health over time among older adults (original) (raw)
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Optimism and Healthy Aging in Women and Men
American Journal of Epidemiology, 2019
Mounting evidence indicates that there are specific associations between higher levels of optimism and healthier behaviors , reduced risk of chronic diseases, and lower mortality. Yet, for public health purposes, it is critical to consider how optimism might be related to a full scope of health conditions in aging-from cognitive to physical health. Using prospective data from the Health and Retirement Study (n = 5,698), we examined whether higher baseline optimism was associated with subsequent increased likelihood of maintaining healthy aging over 6-8 years of follow-up. Optimism was assessed at study baseline (2006 or 2008), and components of healthy aging were assessed every 2 years, defined as: 1) remaining free of major chronic diseases; 2) having no cognitive impairment; and 3) good physical functioning. Hazard ratios were obtained using Cox proportional hazards models, and a range of relevant covariates were considered (sociodemographic factors, depressive symptoms, and health behaviors). After adjusting for sociodemo-graphic factors and depression, the most (top quartile) versus least (bottom quartile) optimistic participants had a 24% increased likelihood of maintaining healthy aging (95% CI: 1.11, 1.38). Further adjustment for health behaviors did not meaningfully change the findings. Optimism, a potentially modifiable health asset, merits further research for its potential to improve likelihood of health in aging. chronic disease; cognitive function; health psychology; healthy aging; optimism; physical function; psychological well-being; resilience Abbreviations: CI, confidence interval; HRS, Health and Retirement Study. As populations age, identifying factors that foster maintenance of healthy aging into late life is crucial for improving the health and well-being of older adults and containing health-care costs (1, 2). Although average life expectancy has increased, the number of years lost to disability has also increased (3, 4). Further, US health-care spending, which reached $3.2 trillion in 2015, is expected to increase at an average rate of 5.5% per year over the next decade, an increase that is attributable partly to the rising prevalence and burden of chronic diseases. Although most biomedical and public health efforts to foster health have focused on reducing risk factors, an emerging body of research suggests that there are modifiable health assets that might contribute to reduced risk of age-related chronic diseases (5, 6). Dispositional optimism-the generalized expectation that good things will happen-is one promising health asset. Importantly, it appears as if the potential health benefits of optimism are independent of psychological distress (e.g., depression) (7). Although optimism is approximately 23%-32% heritable (8, 9) and is shaped by social, structural (e.g., socioeconomic status), and life-course factors (10, 11), randomized controlled trials suggest that it might be modified using a variety of methods that range from writing exercises (e.g., writing a list of items for which one is grateful) to classroom-based modules that focus on cognitive-behavioral strategies (12-14). Further, optimism has been associated with healthier behaviors (e.g., physical activity, healthy diet, not smoking, medication adherence) (15-19) and healthier biologic functioning (e.g., lower inflammation and higher antioxidants levels) (20-22), which in turn reduce risk of chronic conditions (23, 24). Finally, a previous study among 33,326 women from the Nurses' Health Study found that the most (top quartile) versus least (bottom quartile) optimistic women had 23% greater odds of healthy aging 8 years later, after adjusting for sociodemographic factors and depression (25). However, at that time, the Nurses'
Do the emotional benefits of optimism vary across older adulthood? A life-span perspective
Journal of personality, 2016
This study examined whether the emotional benefits of dispositional optimism for managing stressful encounters decrease across older adulthood. Such an effect might emerge because age-related declines in opportunities for overcoming stressors could reduce the effectiveness of optimism. This hypothesis was tested in a six-year longitudinal study of 171 community-dwelling older adults (age range = 64 to 90 years). Hierarchical linear models showed that dispositional optimism protected relatively young participants from exhibiting elevations in depressive symptoms over time, but that these benefits became increasingly reduced among their older counterparts. Moreover, the findings showed that an age-related association between optimism and depressive symptoms was observed particularly during periods of enhanced, as compared to reduced, stress. These results suggest that dispositional optimism protects emotional well-being during the early phases of older adulthood, but that its effects ...
Journal of Research in Personality
How does optimism change over the lifespan and how do changes predict health and well-being? In a preregistered analysis of the Rochester Adult Longitudinal Study, we examined changes in and outcomes of optimism over 25 years (1989-2014) in 984 adults aged 16-70. Optimism increased over time similarly across participants. However, more optimistic participants at baseline reported engaging in healthier behaviors, better health, higher life satisfaction, and higher purpose in life 25 years later. Disaggregating health behaviors, we found that health-behavior-effects were specific to physical activity and abstaining from harmful substances/ food. Because participants increased in optimism at similar rates, more work is needed to examine whether changes in optimism predict outcomes, and what factors account for the homogenous change observed here.
The predictive validity of optimism and affectivity in a longitudinal study of older adults
2008
The current study tested the independence of dispositional optimism and pessimism from negative and positive affectivity in the prediction of older adults' well-being, concurrently and five years later, using structural equation modeling. As hypothesized, in a community sample, both optimism/pessimism and affectivity were correlated cross-sectionally and prospectively with outcomes representing general health and well-being (self-rated health, somatic depression and life satisfaction). However, with both sets of predictors in the model, affectivity eliminated the relationships of optimism/pessimism with the outcomes. Our proposed explanation for these findings, derived from the theoretical self-regulation model, also explains the seemingly contradictory previous findings of an independent contribution of dispositional optimism in patient samples coping with specific stressors.
Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 2000
Dispositional optimism has been linked in previous studies to better health outcomes. We sought to examine the independent associations of dispositional optimism and depressive symptoms with physical and mental functioning in a cohort of healthy middle-aged and older men. The study was conducted among 659 subjects in the Veterans Administration (VA) Normative Aging Study. Dispositional optimism and depressive symptomatology were measured in 1991 and 1990, respectively, . In multivariate regression models, optimism was associated with higher levels of general health perceptions, vitality, and mental health, and lower levels of bodily pain, but not to physical functioning, social functioning, or role limitations due to physical or emotional problems. Depressive symptomatology was associated with reduced levels of functioning across all SF-36 domains. The findings for optimism and depression were statistically significant after mutual adjustment in multivariate regression models. Optimism and depression are independent predictors of functional status among aging men.
Optimism, Daily Stressors, and Emotional Well-Being Over Two Decades in a Cohort of Aging Men
The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 2022
Objectives: Growing evidence supports optimism as a health asset, yet how optimism influences well-being and health remains uncertain. We evaluated 1 potential pathway-the association of optimism with daily stress processes-and tested 2 hypotheses. The stressor exposure hypothesis posits that optimism would preserve emotional well-being by limiting exposure to daily stressors. The buffering hypothesis posits that higher optimism would be associated with lower emotional reactivity to daily stressors and more effective emotional recovery from them. Methods: Participants were 233 men from the Veterans Affairs Normative Aging Study who completed the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 Revised Optimism-Pessimism scale in 1986/1991 and participated in up to three 8-day daily diary bursts in 2002-2010 (age at first burst: M = 76.7, SD = 6.5). Daily stressor occurrence, positive affect (PA), and negative affect (NA) were assessed nightly. We evaluated the hypotheses using multilevel structural equation models. Results: Optimism was unrelated to emotional reactivity to or recovery from daily stressors. Higher optimism was associated with higher average daily PA (B = 2.31, 95% Bayesian credible interval [BCI]: 1.24, 3.38) but not NA, independent of stressor exposure. Lower stressor exposure mediated the association of higher optimism with lower daily NA (indirect effect: B = −0.27, 95% BCI: −0.50, −0.09), supporting the stressor exposure hypothesis.
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1997
Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the Life Orientation Test (LOT) consisted of separate Optimism and Pessimism factors among middle-aged and older adults. Although the two factors were significantly negatively correlated among individuals facing a profound life challenge (i.e., caregiving), they were only weakly correlated among noncaregivers. Caregivers also expressed less optimism than noncaregivers and showed a trend toward greater pessimism, suggesting that life stress may affect these dispositions. Pessimism, not optimism, uniquely predicted subsequent psychological and physical health; however, optimism and pessimism were equally predictive for stressed and nonstressed samples. By exploring optimism and pessimism separately, researchers may better determine whether the beneficial effects of optimism result from thinking optimistically, avoiding pessimistic thinking, or a combination of the two.
Identifying modifiable factors associated with health optimism in older adults
Aging & mental health, 2017
Despite the documented importance of health optimism for enhancing health outcomes, very little work has been done to examine who experiences health optimism and under what conditions. The present study sought to identify modifiable factors associated with health optimism that could constitute the focus of future intervention efforts designed to promote health optimism among older people. Participants were 453 (44% males) community-based Western Australians aged 60+ years (M = 70.39 years, SD = 6.06). Participants completed questionnaires to assess sociodemographic characteristics and provided information relating to physical and psychological health status. Almost a quarter of participants (24%; n = 108) were classified as health optimists. Results from a multivariate regression analysis found quality of life, psychological well-being, and age to be directly and positively associated with health optimism. A subsequent path analytic model found depression (negatively) and self-effic...
Optimism and Longevity Beyond Age 85
The Journals of Gerontology: Series A, 2021
Background Optimism is associated with health benefits and improved survival among adults older than 65 years. Whether or not optimism beyond age 85 continues to confer survival benefits is poorly documented. We examine the hypothesis that being optimistic at ages 85 and 90 is associated with improved survival. Method The Jerusalem Longitudinal Study (1990–2020) assessed comorbidity, depression, cognition, social and functional status, and 5-year mortality among a representative community sample, born during 1920–1921, at age 85 (n = 1096) and age 90 (n = 533). Overall optimism (Op-Total) was measured using a validated 7-item score from the Scale of Subjective Wellbeing for Older Persons. The 4 questions concerning positive future expectations (Op-Future) and 3 questions concerning positive experiences (Op-Happy) were also analyzed separately. We determined unadjusted mortality hazards ratios and also adjusted for gender, financial difficulty, marital status, educational status, act...