Dispositional optimism buffers combat veterans from the negative effects of warzone stress on mental health symptoms and work impairment

Thomas, Jeffrey L.; Britt, Thomas W.; Odle-Dusseau, Heather N.; Bliese, Paul D.

doi:10.1002/jclp.20809

Cited by 63 publications

(44 citation statements)

References 46 publications

(67 reference statements)

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“…Dispositional optimism is linked with beneficial physical responses to stress e.g.,[32,33], including lower levels of salivary cortisol awakening response [22,23], and to our knowledge this is the first study to find a similar relationship with a biomarker for chronic stress. Although not measured in this study, two possible pathways that might explain this relationship is that optimists (vs. pessimists) are more likely to have higher levels of social support and use adaptive coping strategies in response to stress [20].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Hair Cortisol, Perceived Stress and Dispositional Optimism: A Pilot Study among Adolescents

Milam

Slaughter

Verma

et al. 2014

J Trauma Stress Disor Treat

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Background Psychological stress is often associated with poor health-related outcomes. One potential biomarker for chronic stress, hair cortisol, is minimally invasive compared to other cortisol collection techniques. This pilot study examined the relationships between hair cortisol and self-reported perceived stress, stressful life events, depressive symptoms, and dispositional optimism among adolescents. Methods This cross-sectional study comprised of a convenience sample of 27 adolescents (age: M=14.96, SD=1.63) recruited from a Southern California after-school program. Along with demographic and hair characteristics (e.g., hair color, type, etc.), participants completed the Perceived Stress Scale, Stressful Life Events checklist, CES-D (depressive symptoms), and Life Orientation Test (optimism). Hair cortisol was measured by analyzing hair samples approximately 1 cm from the scalp representing one month of cortisol exposure. Results Hair cortisol had a significant inverse association with dispositional optimism (r=−0.44, p<0.05). Hair cortisol was not significantly associated with self-reported perceived stress, stressful life events, or depressive symptoms. Conclusion Assessment of hair cortisol may prove beneficial as an objective measure in research examining chronic stress-related outcomes among adolescents. Resiliency or protective dispositions, such as optimism, merit attention in relation to this biomarker.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Hair Cortisol, Perceived Stress and Dispositional Optimism: A Pilot Study among Adolescents

Milam

Slaughter

Verma

et al. 2014

J Trauma Stress Disor Treat

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…We were unable to identify a study that used this measure in a population with bipolar disorder; however, it is frequently evaluated as a moderator of psychological impairment in a target population (e.g., Thomas and colleagues, 2011) [26]. The 8 scored items (scale of 0–4, “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree”) were summed, with higher scores indicating greater optimism.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adaptation to bipolar disorder and perceived risk to children: a survey of parents with bipolar disorder

2013

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BackgroundBipolar disorder (BPD) is a common condition associated with significant morbidity and reduced quality of life. In addition to challenges caused by their mood symptoms, parents affected with BPD harbor concerns about the mental health of their children. Among adult parents who perceive themselves to have BPD, this study aims to examine participants’ coping methods; identify predictors of adaptation; assess parental perceptions of risks for mood disorders among their children; and describe the relationships among illness appraisals, coping, adaptation to one’s own illness, and perceived risk to one’s children.MethodsParents who self-identified as having BPD completed a web-based survey that assessed dispositional optimism, coping, perceived illness severity, perceived etiology of BPD, perceived risk to offspring, and adaptation to BPD. Participants had at least one unaffected child who was 30 years of age or below.Results266 parents were included in the analysis. 87% of parents endorsed a “somewhat greater” or “much greater” risk for mood disorders in one’s child(ren) than someone without a family history. Endorsing a genetic/familial etiology to BPD was positively correlated with perceived risk for mood disorders in children (rs = .3, p < 0.01) and active coping with BDP (r = .2, p < 0.01). Increased active coping (β = 0.4, p < 0.001) and dispositional optimism (β = 0.3, p < 0.001) were positively associated with better adaptation, while using denial coping was negatively associated with adaptation (β = −0.3, p < 0.001). The variables explained 55.2% of the variance in adaptation (F = 73.2, p < 0.001). Coping mediated the effect of perceived illness severity on adaptation.ConclusionsThese data inform studies of interventions that extend beyond symptom management and aim to improve the psychological wellbeing of parents with BPD. Interventions targeted at illness perceptions and those aimed at enhancing coping should be studied for positive effects on adaptation. Parents with BPD may benefit from genetic counseling to promote active coping with their condition, and manage worry about perceived risk to their children.

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“…Higher levels of dispositional optimism are related to a variety of outcomes including well-being in times of stress (Besser & Zeigler-Hill, 2014) or adversity (Carver, Scheier, & Segerstrom, 2010). Optimism also predicts more adaptive responses to potentially traumatic events (Prati & Pietrantoni, 2009), including illness (e.g., Kivimäki et al, 2005), natural disasters (Samoon et al, 2010), terrorism (Ai, Evans-Campbell, Santagello, & Cascio, 2006;Besser et al, in press;Weinberg, Besser, Zeigler-Hill, & Neria, in press), and war (Thomas, Britt, Odle-Dusseau, & Bliese, 2011).…”

mentioning

confidence: 95%

Intrapersonal Resilience Moderates the Association Between Exposure-Severity and PTSD Symptoms Among Civilians Exposed to the 2014 Israel–Gaza Conflict

et al. 2014

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Dispositional optimism buffers combat veterans from the negative effects of warzone stress on mental health symptoms and work impairment

Cited by 63 publications

References 46 publications

Hair Cortisol, Perceived Stress and Dispositional Optimism: A Pilot Study among Adolescents

Hair Cortisol, Perceived Stress and Dispositional Optimism: A Pilot Study among Adolescents

Adaptation to bipolar disorder and perceived risk to children: a survey of parents with bipolar disorder

Intrapersonal Resilience Moderates the Association Between Exposure-Severity and PTSD Symptoms Among Civilians Exposed to the 2014 Israel–Gaza Conflict

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