Childhood adversities, parent-child relationships and dispositional optimism in adulthood.
BACKGROUND
Studies exploring the effects of childhood adversities and parent-child relationship on adulthood dispositional optimism are rather rare, have been performed on small, selected samples and lack analyses of interaction between childhood factors.


METHODS
A total of 19970 working-aged Finns responded to the population-based HeSSup Study baseline questionnaire in 1998. The level of dispositional optimism (measured with the LOT-R scale) was analyzed according to self-reported childhood adversities, childhood parent-child relationships and their interaction, using multivariate linear regression analysis methods. A number of potential confounding factors (education, living alone, recent life events, somatic health and depressive mood) were taken into account.


RESULTS
Childhood adversities were associated with decreasing optimism in a dose-response manner. Good parent-child relationships were associated with increasing optimism, with a partial buffering effect when confronting adversities.


CONCLUSIONS
Those reporting childhood adversities and poor parent-child relationships had less optimistic expectations, which may need to be addressed in clinical settings.
Korkeila
Katariina
K
Department of General Practice, University of Turku, Lemminkäisenkatu 1, 20014, Finland. katariina.korkeila@utu.fi
Kivelä
Sirkka-Liisa
SL
Suominen
Sakari
S
Vahtera
Jussi
J
Kivimäki
Mika
M
Sundell
Jari
J
Helenius
Hans
H
Koskenvuo
Markku
M
D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002668:Child Rearing; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013694:Temperament