Socioeconomic disparities in optimism and pessimism.
BACKGROUND
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.


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


METHODS
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.


RESULTS
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.


CONCLUSIONS
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.
Cancer Research UK Health Behaviour Research Centre, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, UK. k.robb@ucl.ac.uk
Kathryn A
KA
Robb
Alice E
AE
Simon
Jane
J
Wardle
D000339:Affect; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001290:Attitude; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D004739:England; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011594:Psychometrics; D012606:Scotland; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013694:Temperament