Optimism and Longevity Beyond Age 85 Jacobs, Jeremy M; Maaravi, Yoram; Stessman, Jochanan
The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences,
10/2021, Letnik:
76, Številka:
10
Journal Article
Recenzirano
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Optimism is associated with health benefits and improved survival among adults older than 65 years. Whether or not optimism beyond age 85 continues to confer survival benefits is poorly documented. ...We examine the hypothesis that being optimistic at ages 85 and 90 is associated with improved survival.
The Jerusalem Longitudinal Study (1990-2020) assessed comorbidity, depression, cognition, social and functional status, and 5-year mortality among a representative community sample, born during 1920-1921, at age 85 (n = 1096) and age 90 (n = 533). Overall optimism (Op-Total) was measured using a validated 7-item score from the Scale of Subjective Wellbeing for Older Persons. The 4 questions concerning positive future expectations (Op-Future) and 3 questions concerning positive experiences (Op-Happy) were also analyzed separately. We determined unadjusted mortality hazards ratios and also adjusted for gender, financial difficulty, marital status, educational status, activities of daily living dependence, physical activity, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, ischemic heart disease, cognitive impairment, and depression.
Between ages 85-90 and 90-95 years, 33.2% (364/1096) and 44.3% (236/533) people died, respectively. All mean optimism scores declined from age 85 to 90, with males significantly more optimistic than females throughout. All measures of optimism (Op-Total, Op-Future, and Op-Happy) at ages 85 and 90 were significantly associated with improved 5-year survival from age 85 to 90 and 90 to 95, respectively, in both unadjusted and adjusted models. Findings remained unchanged after separately excluding depressed subjects, cognitively impaired subjects, and subjects dying within 6 months from baseline.
These finding support the hypothesis that being optimistic continues to confer a survival benefit irrespective of advancing age.
Pain after surgery remains a major health problem, calling for optimized treatment regimens to maximize the efficacy of pharmacological interventions. In this randomized controlled trial, we tested ...in a routine surgical treatment setting whether postoperative pain can be reduced by a brief preoperative intervention, ie, positive verbal suggestions in combination with sham acupuncture, designed to optimize treatment expectations. We hypothesized that the expectancy intervention as add-on to patient-controlled intravenous analgesia with morphine reduces patient-reported postoperative pain and improves satisfaction with analgesia. Ninety-six women undergoing breast cancer surgery were randomized at 2 stages: Before surgery, anesthesiologists delivered either positive or neutral verbal suggestions regarding the benefits of acupuncture needling on postoperative pain ("information condition"). Patients were then randomized to receive sham acupuncture or no sham acupuncture during postoperative care ("sham acupuncture condition"). Average pain during the 24-hour observation period after surgery as primary and satisfaction with analgesia as secondary outcome was assessed with standardized measures and analyzed with analysis of covariance accounting for morphine dose, surgery-related, and psychological parameters. Postoperative pain ratings were significantly reduced in patients who received positive treatment-related suggestions (F = 4.45, P = 0.038, main effect of information). Moreover, patients who received an intervention aimed at optimized treatment expectations reported significantly greater satisfaction with analgesia (F = 4.89, P = 0.030, interaction effect). Together, our proof-of-concept data support that optimizing treatment expectations through verbal suggestions may offer a promising approach to improve patient-reported outcomes. Future translational and clinical studies are needed to test such psychological strategies in different surgical interventions, patient groups, and pharmacological treatment regimens.
Theory of Mind (ToM) deficits are present in several mental disorders and closely related to problems in social functioning and lower quality of life. While several trainings are aimed at improving ...ToM performance, it is unknown whether positive expectations on a persons’ ToM performance might cause better ToM achievement.
Participants (n = 131) first completed a mock ToM test and were then randomly assigned to either receive standardized positive, negative or no feedback on their ToM performance. Secondly, their expectations on their own ToM performance were assessed. Thirdly, ToM was assessed using the Movie Task for the Assessment of Social Cognition (MASC).
Participants who received positive feedback resulted in positive expectations on their ToM performance and showed enhanced ToM performance, whereas negative feedback did not lead to negative expectations and negative expectations did not affect a change in ToM performance.
In the present exploratory study, the effect of positive expectations on ToM performance was assessed in a community sample. Thus, the study should be replicated in a clinical sample for more in-depth results.
ToM performance could be enhanced by inducing positive expectations on one's ToM performance, whereas negative feedback had no effect. The present study suggest that interventions that focus on strengthening positive expectations on one's ToM performance could enhance the efficacy of present ToM training methods.
•Positive feedback resulted in positive expectations on Theory of Mind performance.•Positive expectations led to improved ToM performance in a community sample.•Negative feedback did not result in negative expectations.•Performance expectations did not mediate the effect of feedback on ToM performance.•Theory of Mind performance could be enhanced by inducing positive expectations.
Although palliation of psycho-spiritual distress is of great importance in terminally ill cancer patients, there is a little information about screening patients who benefit from palliative care and ...identifying the cancer care targets. This study explored the relationship of pain management and positive expectations with depression, anxiety and spiritual well-being (SWB) in terminal cancer patients admitted to a palliative care unit.
Eighty-four terminal cancer inpatients were recruited from the Hospice Ward, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University. Optimism and general self-efficacy (GSE) were evaluated at admission. Patients completed self-report questionnaires on SWB, depression, anxiety and pain both on admission and one week later. The repeated designed analysis of variance was used to explore the correlates of depression, anxiety and SWB (meaning, peace, faith).
In our sample, only cancer pain diminished significantly one week later. For depression (p = 0.041) and faith (p = 0.013), there was a significant pain group (relieved vs. not relieved) × time interaction effect, such that those with satisfied pain control experienced the improved psycho-spiritual outcomes at 1 week. The relationship between positive expectations, peace and faith was also statistically significant, indicating that the improvement of peace or faith was significant in the low group of optimism and GSE.
Our findings indicated that pain management lied at the center of depression and SWB, meaning that effective pain management may reduce depression, and improve SWB among terminal cancer patients. Moreover, positive expectations, especially for optimism, may be the new target for SWB-related intervention research. Palliative care nurse should require the identification of terminal cancer patients who may more benefit from short-term palliative care, and target them with effective cancer care.
Do optimistic expectations facilitate or hinder adaptive responses to relationship challenges? Traditionally, optimism has been characterized as a resource that encourages positive coping efforts ...within relationships. Yet, some work suggests optimism can be a liability, as expecting the best may prevent individuals from taking proactive steps when confronted with difficulties. To reconcile these perspectives, the current article argues that greater attention must be given to the way in which optimistic expectancies are conceptualized. Whereas generalized dispositional optimism may predict constructive responses to relationship difficulties, more focused relationship-specific forms of optimism may predict poor coping responses. A multi-method, longitudinal study of newly married couples confirmed that spouses higher in dispositional optimism (a) reported engaging in more positive problem-solving behaviors on days in which they experienced greater relationship conflict, (b) were observed to display more constructive problem-solving behaviors when discussing important marital issues with their partner in the lab, and (c) experienced fewer declines in marital well-being over the 1st year of marriage. Conversely, spouses higher in relationship-specific optimism (a) reported engaging in fewer constructive problem-solving behaviors on high conflict days, (b) were observed to exhibit worse problem-solving behaviors in the lab-particularly when discussing marital issues of greater importance-and (c) experienced steeper declines in marital well-being over time. All findings held controlling for self-esteem and neuroticism. Together, results suggest that whereas global forms of optimism may represent a relationship asset, specific forms of optimism can place couples at risk for marital deterioration.
Children's beliefs concerning school transition Eskelä-Haapanen, Sirpa; Lerkkanen, Marja-Kristiina; Rasku-Puttonen, Helena ...
Early child development and care,
09/2017, Letnik:
187, Številka:
9
Journal Article
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This study examines preschoolers' beliefs concerning their transfer into primary education. Data from 1386 Finnish preschoolers were obtained using interviews with parents at the end of the ...children's preschool year. The qualitative content analysis revealed categories, which encompassed peer relationships, relationship with teacher, learning, formal schoolwork, informal activities, comfortable school entry and no concerns. The results indicated that children's beliefs concerning their prospective school entry centred on maintaining and making friendships, and that children possessed both negative and positive expectations about their relationship with their future teacher. Both girls and boys expressed concerns about managing school life. One-third of the children did not express any concerns. Children anticipated new learning experiences and were eager to meet more challenging tasks. The anticipation of positive learning encounters emphasizes the gradual, proactive construction of children's self-conceptions as learners. Some differences were found between genders, as well as the type of preschool context.
Purpose
Positive expectations about personal abilities and future outcomes are important in shaping human behavior and emotion, which may influence the psychological adjustment in cancer patients. We ...aimed to assess two basic kinds of perceived stress in Chinese cancer patients and to investigate their associations with demographic-clinical characteristics and positive expectations.
Methods
A multi-center, cross-sectional study was conducted in consecutive cervical, kidney, and bladder cancer inpatients from three general hospitals in Liaoning province from February 2013 to August 2014. A total of 790 patients eligible for this study completed questionnaires on demographic-clinical variables, optimism, general self-efficacy, perceived global, and cancer-related stress anonymously. Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to examine the relationships between optimism, general self-efficacy, and perceived stress, after controlling for possible covariates.
Results
Mean score of perceived global stress was 17.85 (SD 4.43). Mean score of perceived cancer-related stress was 37.15 (SD 12.66); 38.1% of the sample scored 44 and above, 20.1% scored 50 and above. Education, physical activity, cancer stage, and time since diagnosis were significantly associated with perceived stress. Optimism and general self-efficacy accounted for an additional variance in perceived global (14.9%) and cancer-related stress (16.9%), and both of them were independent and protective variables of perceived stress.
Conclusions
This study recognized cancer patients at risk for high levels of perceived stress and extended the understanding of the association between positive expectations and perceived global and cancer-related stress. Enhancing or maintaining optimism and general self-efficacy might be potential targets for future psychosocial interventions aimed at relieving perceived stress in cancer patients.
Researchers have spent considerable effort examining unrealistic absolute optimism and unrealistic comparative optimism, yet there is a lack of research exploring them concurrently. This longitudinal ...study repeatedly assessed unrealistic absolute and comparative optimism within a performance context over several months to identify the degree to which they shift as a function of proximity to performance and performance feedback, their associations with global individual difference and event‐specific factors, and their link to subsequent behavioural outcomes. Results showed similar shifts in unrealistic absolute and comparative optimism based on proximity to performance and performance feedback. Moreover, increases in both types of unrealistic optimism were associated with better subsequent performance beyond the effect of prior performance. However, several differences were found between the two forms of unrealistic optimism in their associations with global individual difference factors and event‐specific factors, highlighting the distinctiveness of the two constructs.
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