Optimism, Social Support, Stress, and Physical and Psychological Well-Being in Japanese Women

Abstract

The present study examined the relationship between self-reported scores on optimism, social support, and stress and on physical and psychological well-being in 176 Japanese female college students. The significant interactions found among scores on optimism, social support, and stress suggest that individuals who reported higher optimism and social support also rated themselves higher with respect to physical and psychological well-being, regardless of their reported stress.

Job Resources and Work Engagement: Optimism as Moderator Among Finnish Managers

“…According to the results, optimism was able to ward off the negative effect of low job control on dedication demonstrating that optimism can have a protective function under circumstances of low control. This finding is noteworthy and in line with research pointing to the fact that optimism leads to more effective coping strategies and better well-being (Feldt et al, 2006;Lai, 1995;Mäkikangas et al, 2003;Riolli & Savicki, 2003;Sumi, 1997;Sumi et al, 1997). In an organizational context, this is particularly relevant for middle and lower management, where the extent of control over time and method is occasionally rather small.…”

“…Unlike personality traits, which are relatively fixed and stable over time, personal resources are susceptible to change and are malleable (Luthans & Youssef, 2007;Van den Heuvel, Demerouti, Bakker, & Schaufeli, 2010). Previous studies have shown that personal resources, in addition to being related to stress resilience, may have positive effects on physical and emotional well-being (Scheier & Carver, 1992;Sumi, 1997). It has also been proposed that personal resources may function as moderators in the relationship between environmental factors and organizational outcomes (Judge, Locke, & Durham, 1997;Mäkikangas et al, 2013).…”

Fatalism, Social Support, and Mental Health in Four Former Soviet Cultures

“…These findings may have a number of significant implications. Whilst we cannot be sure from our cross-sectional design whether it is social support that influences mental health or vice versa (Cramer, Henderson, & Scott, 1996) probably the most valuable models here will involve reciprocal feedback loops, in which people in psychological distress maintain fatalistic viewpoints which hinder them from developing supportive (and health promoting) social relationships hence further reinforcing their fatalism (Dunkel-Schetter & Skokan, 1990;Sumi, 1997). Fatalistic views are also likely to have a significant influence on physical as well as psychological well-being.…”

“…In Mary Douglas' typology of culture, fatalists hold a cultural bias that rationalises resignation and isolation (Dake, 1992;Douglas, 1982), with those high on fatalism suspicious and cynical about close interactions and unwilling to develop satisfying and supportive relationships (Bandura, 1995;Dake, 1992;Hobfoll, Freedy, Lane & Geller, 1990). Although there has been little empirical research examining the relationship between personality variables in this area, fatalistic beliefs can be conceptually contrasted with personality traits such as hardiness (Kobasa & Puccetti, 1983) optimism (Sarason, Levine, Basham & Sarason, 1983;Sumi, 1997) and internal locus of control (Lakey & Cassady, 1990;Sarason et al, 1983), all of which have been associated with higher levels of social support. Instead, fatalists hold a constellation of cognitive beliefs or schemata which lead to perceiving another's supportive attempts as unhelpful and which enhances the recall of previous, negative or unhelpful support (Lakey & Cassady, 1996).…”

Sleep quality and sleepiness characteristics in first trimester expectant mothers

“…We used a Japanese translation (Sumi, 1997) of a ten-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) (Cohen & Williamson, 1988) modified from Cohen et al's (1983) original. Scores for each of the ten items range from 0 to 4, with a total PSS score range of 0 to 40.…”