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OPTIMISM AND PESSIMISM PLAY DIFFERENT ROLES IN PREVENTING
DEPRESSION AT DIFFERENT AGES, SAYS STUDY
Elderly Optimists At Higher Risk for Depression After Negative Life Event
WASHINGTON - Up until now, research has shown that people who are
pessimistic are more vulnerable to depression. But according to new
research, older people are less vulnerable to depression the more
pessimistic and realistic they are about life events. This finding
will be presented at the 106th Annual Convention of the American
Psychological Association in San Francisco.
Researcher Derek M. Isaacowitz, M.A., and psychologist Martin E. P.
Seligman, Ph.D., of the University of Pennsylvania, conducted a
one-year study of 71 older adults (64-94 years of age) who were not in
an assisted living situation to determine whether pessimism heightens
their risk for depression. To find out whether a person explained
uncontrollable negative life events in a pessimistic or optimistic
style, the participants were asked to explain 12 vignettes that dealt
with either positive or negative interpersonal issues.
A person with a pessimistic style explains negative life events as
if the event happened because of internal reasons and he or she has no
control over the outcome. A person with an optimistic style explains
negative life events as if the event happened for external reasons, is
a temporary setback and was due to causes that he or she can control.
After it was determined which explanatory style (pessimistic or
optimistic) they used to interpret their life events, the participants
completed questionnaires that measured their depressive mood and the
number of negative life events they had experienced. At six months, 51
of the participants responded and a year later, 45 of the participants
responded to the questionnaire.
In contrast with the last 20 years of research that shows that a
pessimistic style of thinking in children and young adults makes them
more vulnerable to developing depressive symptoms, Mr. Isaacowitz and
Dr. Seligman found the opposite to be true with older people. "At
both six-month and one-year follow-ups, the optimistic participants
who had experienced negative life events reported the highest levels
of depressive symptoms. In contrast, the optimistic participants who
had not experienced a negative life event reported very low levels of
depressive symptoms. The pessimistic participants tended to experience
intermediate levels of depressive symptoms regardless of their life
events."
"We believe that what makes people vulnerable to depression at one
stage in their life can change in a later stage of life," say the
authors. "The nature of life events (and their causes) change as
people get older. For example, a college student who flunks a midterm
knows that there will be another exam soon and will likely do better.
The negative event and its consequences are rather temporary and have
room for improvement so an optimistic perspective would be healthier
and more realistic."
On the other hand, when an older person experiences the death of a
friend, a more common and permanent event, a pessimistic reaction
based on a realistic acceptance of end-of-life issues is appropriate.
Being optimistic in this situation would be unrealistic and
maladaptive, according to the authors.
"Teaching optimism to older adults would be a terribly
inappropriate way to prevent depression," said Isaacowitz. "Promoting
realistic assessment of one's
life situation and teaching older adults to know that some negative
life events with permanent causes and consequences will take place
would be a more appropriate strategy."
Presentation: "Prevention of Depression in Older Adults: Theory,
Methodology and Pitfalls," by Derek Isaacowitz, M.A., and Martin E. P.
Seligman, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania, Session 5030, 9:00 AM,
August 18, 1998, Moscone Center - South Building, Room 305
(Full Text available from the APA Public Affairs Office)
The American Psychological Association (APA), in Washington, DC is
the largest scientific and professional organization representing
psychology in the United States and is the world's largest association
of psychologists. APA's membership includes more than 155,000
researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. Through
its divisions in 50 subfields of psychology and affiliations with 59
state, territorial and Canadian provincial associations, APA works to
advance psychology as a science, as a profession and as a means of
promoting human welfare.
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