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Do optimism and pessimism predict physical functioning?

Gretchen A Brenes1, Stephen R Rapp, W Jack Rejeski

  • 1Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27157-1063, USA. gbrenes@wfubmc.edu

Journal of Behavioral Medicine
|June 12, 2002
PubMed
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Pessimism, not optimism, significantly impacts older adults' objective physical functioning in daily activities like walking and climbing stairs. This highlights the importance of psychological factors in physical health outcomes.

Area of Science:

  • Gerontology
  • Psychology
  • Health Sciences

Background:

  • Dispositional optimism correlates with self-reported health and well-being.
  • Limited research explores the link between optimism and objective functioning.
  • Objective physical functioning is crucial for independent living in older adults.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between optimism/pessimism and objective physical functioning.
  • To assess how dispositional optimism and pessimism affect performance in daily activities.
  • To understand the role of psychological factors in the physical health of older adults.

Main Methods:

  • Study included 480 community-dwelling older adults with knee pain.
  • Participants completed optimism and pessimism questionnaires.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Objective physical functioning was assessed via observed performance in four daily activities: walking, lifting, stair climbing, and car transfers.

    • Main Results:

    • Pessimism showed a significant negative relationship with performance on all four observed tasks (p < .001).
    • Optimism was significantly related to performance only on the walking task (p < .05).
    • These relationships remained significant after controlling for demographic and health variables.

    Conclusions:

    • Pessimism is a significant predictor of poorer objective physical functioning in older adults.
    • Optimism's impact on objective physical functioning appears limited, primarily affecting walking performance.
    • Psychological disposition, particularly pessimism, plays a role in objective physical performance among older adults.