The Influence Of Dispositional Optimism-Pessimism On Life Satisfaction Mediated By Coping Strategies Among Thais In Bangkok
Keywords:
Optimism, Pessimism, Coping Strategies, Life SatisfactionAbstract
Research has shown that optimism and productive coping strategies have a momentous positive impact on physical and psychological well-being. It has been found that optimists tend to use engaged-style coping and pessimists use disengaged-style coping. Therefore, the present study aims to investigate the direct and indirect relationship of dispositional optimism-pessimism on life satisfaction, being mediated by coping strategies among Thais in Bangkok. Two hundred and four Thai adults participated in an online survey. The research design of this study was correlational, using path analysis to test the hypotheses. Results revealed that there was no direct influence between optimism-pessimism on life satisfaction. However, there was an indirect positive relationship between optimism and life satisfaction, mediated by engaged coping. Lastly, there was no indirect relationship of pessimism on life satisfaction, mediated by disengaged coping, but disengaged coping was negatively related to life satisfaction. Some of the results in the present study diverged significantly from existing literature, future research may want to further investigate these discrepancies. Future studies should also continue to explore predictors to life satisfaction within the Thai population and develop culturally appropriate interventions.
References
Aspinwall, L. G., & Taylor, S, E. (1992). Modeling cognitive adaptation: A longitudinal investigation of the impact of individual differences and coping on college adjustment and performance. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 63(6), 989-1003.
Bornstein, M.H., Jager, J., & Putnick, D.L. (2013) Sampling in developmental science: Situations, shortcomings, solutions, and standards. Developmental Review, 33(4), 357-370
Carver, C. S., Pozo, C., Harris, S. D., Noriega, V., Scheier, M. F., Robinson, D. S., Ketcham, A. S., Moffat, F. L., Jr., & Clark, K. C. (1993). How coping mediates the effect of optimism on distress: A study of women with early stage breast cancer. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 65(2), 375-390.
Carver, C. S., Scheier, M. F., & Segerstrom, S. C. (2010). Optimism. Clinical Psychology Review, 30(7), 879-889.
Chang, E. (1996). Cultural differences in optimism, pessimism, and coping: Predictors of subsequent adjustment in Asian American and Caucasian American college students. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 43(1), 113-123.
Chang, E. (1998). Dispositional optimism and primary and secondary appraisal of a stressor: Controlling for confounding influences and relations to coping and psychological and physical adjustment. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74(4), 1109-1120.
Chemers, M. M., Hu, L., & Garcia, B. F. (2001). Academic self-efficacy and first year college student performance and adjustment. Journal of Education Psychology, 93(1), 55-64.
Diener, E., Emmons, R. A., Larsen, R. J., & Griffin, S. (1985). The satisfaction with life scale. Journal of personality assessment, 49(1), 71-75
Diener, E., Sapyata, J. J., & Suh, E. (1998). Subjective-welling is essential to well-being. An International Journal for the advancement of Psychological Theory, 9(1), 33-37.
Folkman, S., Lazarus, R. S., Gruen, R. J., & DeLongis, A. (1986a) Appraisal, coping, health status, and psychological Symptoms. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 50(3), 571-579.
Gaudreau, P. & Blondin, J. (2004). Differential associations of dispositional optimism and pessimism with coping, goal Attainment, and emotional adjustment during sport competition. International Journal of Stress Management, 11(3), 245-269.
Gaudreau, P, Gunnell, K. E, Hoar, S. D., Thompson, A., Lelievre, J. (2015). Optimism, pessimism, and coping in a dual-domain model of sport and school satisfaction. Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology, 4(2), 140-152.
Guillemin, F. (1995). Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of health status measures. Scandinavian Journal of Rheumatology, 24(5), 61-63.
Holroyd, K. A., Tobin, D. L., Rogers, L., Hursey, K. G., Penzien, D. B., & Holm, J. E. (1983). Psychological coping strategies and recurrent tension headache. Paper presented at the meeting of the society of behavioral medicine, Baltimore.
Lazarus, R. S., & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, Appraisal, and Coping. New York: Springer Publishing Company.
Lench, H. C. (2011). Personality and Health outcomes: Making positive expectations a reality. Journal of Happiness Studies, 12(3), 493-507.
Nation, T. (2016, February 27). 4,000 Thais take their own lives every year, Public Health Ministry says. Retrieved December 17, 2017, from http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/4000-Thais-take-their-own-lives-every-year-Public--30280354.html
Nelson, J. M. (2009). Religion, spirituality, and physical health. Psychology, Religion, and Spirituality. New York: Springer.
Pavot, W., & Diener, E. (1993). Review of the satisfaction with life scale. Psychological Assessment, 5(2), 164-172.
Scheier, M. F., Carver, C. S., Bridges, M. W. (2001) Optimism, pessimism, and psychological well-being. Optimism & Pessimism: Implications for Theory, Research, and Practice, 189-216.
Scheier, M. F., & Carver, C. S. (1985). Optimism, coping, and health: Assessments and implications of generalized outcomes. Health Psychology, 4(3), 219-247.
Scheier, M. F., & Carver, C. S. (1992). Effects of optimism on psychological and physical well-being: Theoretical overview and empirical update. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 16(2), 201-228.
Scheier, M. F., Weintraub, J. K., & Carver, C. S. (1986). Coping with stress: Divergent strategies of optimists and pessimists. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51(6), 1257-1264.
Segerstrom, S. C. (2006). How does optimism suppress immunity? Evaluation of three affective pathways. Health Psychology, 25(5), 653-657.
Segovia, F., Moore, J. F., Linnville, S. E., Hoyt, R. E., & Hain, R. E. (2012). Optimism predicts resilience in repatriated prisoner of war: A 37-year longitudinal study. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 25(3), 330-336.
Sergeant, S., & Mongrain, M. (2014). An online optimism intervention reduces depression in pessimistic individuals. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 84(2), 263-274.
Skinner, E. A., Edge, K., Altman, J., Sherwood, H. (2003). Searching for the structure of coping: a review and critique of category systems for classifying ways of coping. Psychological Bulletin, 129(2), 216-269.
Smith, A. (1989). Diurnal variations in performance. In A. M. Colley & J. R. Beech (Eds.), Acquisition and performance of cognitive skills (pp. 301–325). New York: John Wiley & Sons.
Thompson, A., & Gaudreau, P. (2008). From optimism and pessimism to coping: The mediating role of academic motivation. International Journal of Stress Management, 15(3), 269-288.
Tobin, D. L. (2001). Manual for the Coping Strategies Inventory.
Tobin, D. L., Holroyd, K. A., Reynolds, R. V., Wigal, J. K. (1989) The hierarchical factor structure of the coping strategies inventory, Cognitive Therapy and Research,13(4), 343- 361.
Tyson, P. D. & Pongruengphant, R. (2007). Buddhist and Western perspectives on suffering, stress, and coping. Journal of Religion and Health, 46(3), 351-357.
Vautier, S., Raufaste, E., & Cariou, M. (2003). Dimensionality of the Revised Life Orientation Test and the status of the filler items. International Journal of Psychology, 38, 390-400.
Weeks, A., Swerissen, H., & Belfrage, J. (2007). Issues, challenges, and solutions in translating study instruments. Evaluation Review, 31(2), 153-165.
Yiengprugsawan, V., Suebsman, S., Khamman, S., Lim, L. L., & Sleigh, A. C. (2010b) Personal Wellbeing Index in a national cohort of 87, 134 Thai adults. Social Indicators Research, 98(2), 201-215.
