Dispositional optimism and terminal decline in global quality of life.
We examined whether dispositional optimism relates to change in global quality of life (QOL) as a function of either chronological age or years to impending death. We used a sample of 2,096 deceased postmenopausal women from the Women's Health Initiative clinical trials who were enrolled in the 2005-2010 Extension Study and for whom at least 1 global QOL and optimism measure were analyzed. Growth curve models were examined. Competing models were contrasted using model fit criteria. On average, levels of global QOL decreased with both higher age and closer proximity to death (e.g., M(score) = 7.7 eight years prior to death vs. M(score) = 6.1 one year prior to death). A decline in global QOL was better modeled as a function of distance to death (DtD) than as a function of chronological age (Bayesian information criterion [BIC](DtD) = 22,964.8 vs. BIC(age) = 23,322.6). Optimism was a significant correlate of both linear (estimate(DtD) = -0.01, SE(DtD) = 0.005; ρ = 0.004) and quadratic (estimate(DtD) = -0.006, SE(DtD) = 0.002; ρ = 0.004) terminal decline in global QOL so that death-related decline in global QOL was steeper among those with a high level of optimism than those with a low level of optimism. We found that dispositional optimism helps to maintain positive psychological perspective in the face of age-related decline. Optimists maintain higher QOL compared with pessimists when death-related trajectories were considered; however, the gap between those with high optimism and those with low optimism progressively attenuated with closer proximity to death, to the point that is became nonsignificant at the time of death.
Faculty of Health Sciences and Social Welfare.
Oleg
O
Zaslavsky
Department of Gerontology, The Center for Research and Study of Aging, Faculty of Social Welfare and Health Sciences, University of Haifa.
Yuval
Y
Palgi
Public Health Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.
Eileen
E
Rillamas-Sun
Public Health Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.
Andrea Z
AZ
LaCroix
Yeshiva College, Yeshiva University.
Eliezer
E
Schnall
School of Nursing, University of Washington.
Nancy F
NF
Woods
School of Nursing, University of Washington.
Barbara B
BB
Cochrane
Department of Public Health Sciences, University of California-Davis.
Lorena
L
Garcia
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, University of Arizona.
Melanie
M
Hingle
Center for Medical Humanities, Stony Brook University.
Stephen
S
Post
College of Human Ecology, Cornell University.
Rebecca
R
Seguin
Division of Internal Medicine, University of Pittsburgh.
Hilary
H
Tindle
Interdisciplinary Department of Social Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences, Bar-Ilan University.
Amit
A
Shrira
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D001499:Bayes Theorem; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003643:Death; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008875:Middle Aged; D010551:Personality; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D013694:Temperament