Is Optimism Sensitive to the Stressors of Chronic Disease? The Impact of Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus and Multiple Sclerosis on Optimistic Beliefs

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to investigate longitudinally the sensitivity of optimistic beliefs (positive outcome expectancies, efficacy expectancies, and optimistic bias) to disease-related stress (measured by disease duration, depressive symptoms, physical symptoms, physical impairment, and life-events) in Type 1 diabetes (n ¼ 90) and multiple sclerosis (n ¼ 90). First, we examined whether chronically ill patients were less optimistic than a healthy control group (n ¼ 60), which showed that patients reported lower levels of optimistic bias but similar levels of the two other optimistic beliefs. Next, we analyzed the stability of the three types of optimistic beliefs across time (one year) for both disease groups, which demonstrated that optimistic bias in MS patients decreased. Finally, the impact of disease-related stressors on optimistic beliefs during a one-year period was determined, showing that all three optimistic beliefs decreased when patients reported depressive symptoms. Together, these findings show that positive outcome expectancies and efficacy expectancies were unaffected by being ill and fairly stable unless patients reported depressive symptoms while optimistic bias appeared to decrease as a result of being ill. Results are discussed in terms of the role of control and depression in optimistic bias.

Quality of life among parents of children with epilepsy: A preliminary research study

“…A possible explanation for this may relate to the different conceptualizations of optimism in the literature [48]. According to Fournier et al [49,50], there are at least three different concepts of optimism, namely positive outcome expectancies, positive efficacy expectancies, and optimistic bias, which were found to react differently to chronic disease depending on their differential sensitivity to disease-related stressors [51]. Thus, it might be that the LOT scale was not sensitive enough to those concepts, or perhaps a more specific measure of optimism is needed regarding epilepsy, as was suggested recently by Pais-Ribeiro et al [52].…”

The Effect of Dispositional Optimism in HRQOL in Patients with Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain Conditions in Greece

“…Finally we should mention that dispositional optimism is thought to be a fairly stable personality characteristic (Scheier and Carver 1985) but the fact that it has been found to be associated with social desirability and anxiety (Schweizer et al 1999), depression (Fournier et al 2003) and to have a mediating role between pain and QOL (Wong and Fielding 2007), suggests that it may not be completely stable, in which case we may be assessing an aspect of anxiety or depression and/or similar constructs.…”

“…Finally, since research shows that depression is a risk factor for optimistic beliefs (Fournier et al 2003), it appears relevant to diagnose and treat depression of people with chronic pain.…”

“…According to the theory of behavioral self regulation (Carver and Scheier 1998) positive outcome expectancies will only decrease when an individual is confronted with a succession of severe adversities as he or she will start to doubt the expectancy that positive outcomes will happen (Carver and Scheier 1998). On the other hand research shows that optimistic beliefs are sensitive to emotional stressors (depressive symptoms) (Fournier et al 2003) and that depression is a risk factor for optimistic beliefs.…”

Resources evaluation in patients with multiple sclerosis: A moderation effect of time since diagnosis

“…A study by Pakenham and Cox (2009) showed that significant gains in vital and spiritual resources can occur in patients diagnosed with multiple sclerosis over the course of time, while Fournier, de Ridder, and Bensing (2003) indicate that an optimistic attitude an plays an important role. Vital resources are perceived as more important, probably because these resources had been lost or significantly limited earlier.…”