Dispositional optimism and loneliness in older men

Ottenheim, Nathaly Rius; Kromhout, Daan; Mast, Roos C. van der; Zitman, Frans G.; Geleijnse, Johanna M.; Giltay, Erik J.

doi:10.1002/gps.2701

Cited by 53 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…The social effects of optimism can be far-reaching. In one study, optimism (assessed 10 years previously) predicted greater resilience to developing loneliness late in life [34]. …”

Section: Optimism Effects In Relationshipsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dispositional optimism

Carver

Scheier

2014

Trends in Cognitive Sciences

798

597

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Optimism is a cognitive construct (expectancies regarding future outcomes) that also relates to motivation: optimistic people exert effort, whereas pessimistic people disengage from effort. Study of optimism began largely in health contexts, finding positive associations between optimism and markers of better psychological and physical health. Physical health effects likely occur through differences in both health-promoting behaviors and physiological concomitants of coping. Recently, the scientific study of optimism has extended to the realm of social relations: new evidence indicates that optimists have better social connections, partly because they work harder at them. In this review, we examine the myriad ways this trait can benefit an individual, and our current understanding of the biological basis of optimism.

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“…The social effects of optimism can be far-reaching. In one study, optimism (assessed 10 years previously) predicted greater resilience to developing loneliness late in life [34]. …”

Section: Optimism Effects In Relationshipsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dispositional optimism

Carver

Scheier

2014

Trends in Cognitive Sciences

798

597

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…These emotions promote longevity [6–8] and reduce the risk of stroke and other medical conditions [9, 10], and depression symptoms predict negative health outcomes in older adults [11]. Essentially, the will-to-live and optimism predict higher survival rates among older people [12] and lower feelings of loneliness [13]. …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Objective drivers of subjective well-being in geriatric inpatients: mobility function and level of education are general predictors of self-evaluated health, feeling of loneliness, and severity of depression symptoms

Bień

Bień-Barkowska

2016

Qual Life Res

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PurposeIdentification of optimal predictors for different indicators of subjective well-being (SWB) in geriatric inpatients: (1) self-evaluated health status (SEH), (2) feeling of loneliness (FoL), and (3) severity of depression symptoms (SoDS). Investigation of the relationship between response categories of the SWB indicators and their predictors.MethodsThe data were collected retrospectively from hospital records. All 555 geriatric inpatients underwent a comprehensive geriatric assessment, including the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test. The Bayesian information criterion was applied in ordinal logistic regression models to identify optimal predictors of SEH, FoL, and SoDS among different objective factors.ResultsAfter controlling for high-stress situations in the recent past, motor slowness measured with the TUG test, and a level of education were jointly selected as the best predictors of all three SWB indicators. The speed of performing the TUG test improved SEH (OR = 2.08) and decreased both FoL (OR = 0.41) and SoDS (OR = 0.41). A higher level of education improved SEH (OR = 1.05) and alleviated both FoL (OR = 0.96) and SoDS (OR = 0.92). Additionally, a higher level of SEH was positively correlated with a lower BMI, improved instrumental activities of daily living (I-ADL), and higher hemoglobin level. FoL was reinforced by the level of comorbidity, and SoDS was increased by impaired basic ADL.ConclusionAlthough SWB in geriatric inpatients can be explained by objective comorbidities and disabilities, the good motor function (i.e., a TUG test outcome of less than about 20 s) and a higher level of education were the general predictors that exert an independent beneficial impact on all three SWB indicators.

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“…A meta-analysis of 83 studies of optimism found a significant relationship between optimism and physical health outcomes including cardiovascular outcomes, physiological markers (including immune function), cancer outcomes, outcomes related to pregnancy, physical symptoms, pain, and mortality (each p<.001) (5). Two studies reported that low optimism was associated with increased loneliness and increased inflammation markers among older men (6;7). Findings regarding an association of optimism with cell immunity function have been mixed (8;9).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Candidate SNP Associations of Optimism and Resilience in Older Adults: Exploratory Study of 935 Community-Dwelling Adults

Rana

Darst

Bloss

et al. 2014

The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry

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Objective Optimism and resilience promote health and well-being in older adults, and previous reports suggest that these traits are heritable. We examined the association of selected single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with optimism and resilience in older adults. Design Candidate gene association study that was a follow-on at the University of California, San Diego sites of two NIH-funded multi-site longitudinal investigations: Women's Health Initiative (WHI) and SELenium and vitamin E Cancer prevention Trial (SELECT). Participants 426 Women from WHI older than age 50, and 509 men older than age 55 (age 50 for African-American men) from SELECT. Measurements 65 candidate gene SNPs that were judged by consensus, based on a literature review, as being related to predisposition to optimism and resilience, and 31 ancestry informative marker SNPs, genotyped from blood-based DNA samples and self-report scales for trait optimism, resilience, and depressive symptoms. Results Using a Bonferroni threshold for significant association (p=0.00089), there were no significant associations for individual SNPs with optimism or resilience in single-locus analyses. Exploratory multi-locus polygenic analyses with a p-value of <.05, showed an association of optimism with SNPs in MAO-A, IL10, and FGG genes, and an association of resilience with a SNP in MAO-A gene. Conclusions Correcting for Type I errors, there were no significant associations of optimism and resilience with specific gene SNPs in single-locus analyses. Positive psychological traits are likely to be genetically complex, with many loci having small effects contributing to phenotypic variation. Our exploratory multi-locus polygenic analyses suggest that larger sample sizes and complementary approaches involving methods such as sequence-based association studies, copy number variation analyses, and pathway-based analyses could be useful for better understanding the genetic basis of these positive psychological traits.

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Dispositional optimism and loneliness in older men

Abstract: Dispositional optimism is correlated to lower feelings of loneliness over time in older men, independently of depression or changes in social network.

Cited by 53 publications

References 48 publications

Dispositional optimism

Dispositional optimism

Objective drivers of subjective well-being in geriatric inpatients: mobility function and level of education are general predictors of self-evaluated health, feeling of loneliness, and severity of depression symptoms

Candidate SNP Associations of Optimism and Resilience in Older Adults: Exploratory Study of 935 Community-Dwelling Adults

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