title: Divergent pathways to influence: Cognition and behavior differentially mediate the effects of optimism on physical and mental quality of life in Chinese university students.
abstract: Previous research has indicated that both cognitive and behavioral variables mediate the positive effect of optimism on quality of life; yet few attempts have been made to accommodate these constructs into a single explanatory framework. Adopting Fredrickson's broaden-and-build perspective, we examined the relationships between optimism, self-rated health, resilience, exercise, and quality of life in 365 Chinese university students using path analysis. For physical quality of life, a two-stage model, in which the effects of optimism were sequentially mediated by cognitive and behavioral variables, provided the best fit. A one-stage model, with full mediation by cognitive variables, provided the best fit for mental quality of life. This suggests that optimism influences physical and mental quality of life via different pathways.
authors.affiliation: Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.
authors.forename: Jonathan E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Ramsay
authors.affiliation: Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.
authors.forename: Fang
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.
authors.forename: Joyce S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Pang
authors.affiliation: Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Ching-Man
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.affiliation: National University of Singapore, Singapore.
authors.forename: Roger Cm
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.affiliation: University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong kkmak@graduate.hku.hk.
authors.forename: Kwok-Kei
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Mak
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002681:China; D003071:Cognition; D015444:Exercise / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D000067656:Optimism / Q000523:psychology*; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: exercise; optimism; quality of life; resilience; self-rated health