Validation of Scheier and Carver's (1985) Life Orientation Test (LOT) has identified associations between bipolar optimism and several external constructs. However, optimism and pessimism may be not bipolar, but rather separate constructs. Furthermore, these constructs may be indistinguishable from personality traits, such as neuroticism and extraversion. This study examined the associations of separate optimism and pessimism measures with self-reports of hassles, psychological symptoms, and illness severity, controlling for personality. Ss were 1,192 men from the Normative Aging Study. Findings suggest that optimism and pessimism are separate and that their relations to external criteria remain, although attenuated, when neuroticism and extraversion are controlled.

In general, those with high support from both family and friends reported the highest level of well-being.

Researchers during the past decade have found little effect of retirement on physical health. However, retirement entails a number of losses, and its effect on mental health, as measured by the prevalence of psychological symptoms, is unclear. We examined psychological symptoms in a sample of 1,513 older men, participants in the Normative Aging Study, using the SCL-90-R (Derogatis, 1983). Analyses of variance indicated that retirees reported more psychological symptoms than did workers, even after controlling for physical health status. Exploratory analyses examining the circumstances of retirement found no effects for length of retirement or part-time employment, but did find effects for the timing of retirement. Both early and late retirees reported more psychological symptoms. Late workers (aged 66 and older) reported the fewest symptoms. Reasons for these findings are discussed.

Basal plasma levels of testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, estradiol, and gonadotropins and testosterone-binding capacity (percent radioactive testosterone bound to protein) were measured in health carefully screened young (31-44 yr old; n = 44) and older (64-88 yr old; n = 42) male participants in the Normative Aging Study of the V.A. There was no statistically significant effect of age on testosterone [younger group, 4.16 +/- 0.27 (SEM) ng/ml; older group, 4.62 +/- 0.32 (SEM) ng/ml] or the free testosterone index [younger group, 2.05 +/- 0.14 (SEM) ng/ml; older group, 1.76 +/- 0.11 (SEM) ng/ml]. The testosterone-binding capacity was higher in the older group (younger group, 50.10 +/- 1.18% (SEM); older group, 60.10 +/- 1.18% (SEM); P less than 0.001). Of the two products of testosterone metabolism studied, estradiol did not change with age, while dihydrotestosterone was lower [young group, 0.25 +/- 0.02 (SEM) ng/ml; older group, 0.20 +/- 0.01 (SEM) ng/ml; P = 0.03] in the older group. FSH levels were increased among the older men [older group, 92.9 +/- 6.0 (SEM) ng/ml; younger group, 61.1 +/- 5.0 (SEM) ng/ml; P less than 0.001]. LH levels were not significantly influenced by age. There was no effect of level of chronic stable alcohol intake on gonadal function, as estimated by testosterone levels and the free testosterone index. Analysis of the relationship between body build and hormone levels indicated that estradiol levels were highest in gynandromorphic men and lowest in mesomorphic men.