A new measure of children's optimism and pessimism: the youth life orientation test.
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.
Ey
Sydney
S
Pacific University, Portland, OR 97205-2732, USA. Sydney.Ey@pacificu.edu
Hadley
Wendy
W
Allen
Deanna Nuttbrock
DN
Palmer
Shawna
S
Klosky
James
J
Deptula
Daneen
D
Thomas
Jay
J
Cohen
Robert
R
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