Socioeconomic disparities in optimism and pessimism

Socioeconomic status (SES) exhibits a graded relationship with health. Dispositional optimism represents a potential mediator and has been strongly linked to health, but few studies have assessed its association with SES.

To assess the relationship between SES and trait optimism and pessimism in a representative community sample of older British adults.

Community samples of adults (55-64 years) from Scotland (N = 10,650) and England (N = 5,099) registered with Primary Care Practices were mailed self-report questionnaires. Optimism was measured by the Life Orientation Test (LOT), which generates a total score and positive (optimism) and negative (pessimism) subscale scores. SES was assessed with an individual-level index of socioeconomic deprivation based on education, housing tenure, and car ownership.

In both samples, there was a strong SES gradient in the total LOT score, with higher SES being associated with higher scores. However, when pessimism and optimism subscales were analyzed separately, the gradient was strong for pessimism, but minimal for optimism.

The results suggest that lower SES is associated with viewing the future as containing more negative events, but there was little SES difference for positive events. It will be important to distinguish the roles of pessimism and optimism in other determinants of health.