title: A new measure of children's optimism and pessimism: the youth life orientation test.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Optimism and pessimism are positive and negative expectations linked with well-being in adults. Research on the importance of optimism and pessimism in children is limited by the lack of a developmentally appropriate measure of children's expectations.
  
  
  METHODS
  Based upon the Life Orientation Test-Revised (Scheier, Carver, & Bridges, 1994), the Youth Life Orientation Test (YLOT) is a sixteen-item self-report measure of children's optimism and pessimism.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Reliability and validity of the YLOT was found with 204 3rd-6th graders. Optimism also predicted fewer child-reported depressive symptoms and parent-reported behavior problems assessed three months later. Pessimism predicted more child-reported anxiety symptoms and parent-reported social and academic deficits.
authors.affiliation: Pacific University, Portland, OR 97205-2732, USA. Sydney.Ey@pacificu.edu
authors.forename: Sydney
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ey
authors.forename: Wendy
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Hadley
authors.forename: Deanna Nuttbrock
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Allen
authors.forename: Shawna
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Palmer
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Klosky
authors.forename: Daneen
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Deptula
authors.forename: Jay
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cohen
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D001290:Attitude; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012917:Social Adjustment; D012919:Social Behavior; D012928:Social Desirability; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires