ArticleEuropean journal of epidemiology2022
Dispositional optimism and depression risk in older women in the Nurses´ Health Study: a prospective cohort study.
Article in European journal of epidemiology, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 16 citations in OpenAlex.
- Long-term temperature exposure and depression incidence in the Nurses' Health Study II, a U.S.-based prospective cohort.Environment international · 2026Article
- Protocol of the Nurses' Mental Health Study (NMHS): a nationwide hospital multicentre prospective cohort study.BMJ open · 2025Article
- Personal resources as predictors of health-related behaviors in nurses.Health psychology report · 2025Article
- Dispositional Optimism Predicts Antidepressant Treatment Response in Major Depressive Disorder: Potential Relevance for Positive Psychology Interventions.The journal of positive psychology · 2024Article
- The Relationship between Big Five Personality Traits and Depression in the German-Speaking D-A-CH Region Including an Investigation of Potential Moderators and Mediators.European journal of investigation in health, psychology and education · 2024Article
- Psychological Capital and Its Factors as Mediators Between Interpersonal Sensitivity and Depressive Symptoms Among Chinese Undergraduates.Psychology research and behavior management · 2024Article
- Article
- Early pregnancy dispositional optimism and pregnancy outcomes among nulliparous people.American journal of obstetrics & gynecology MFM · 2023Article
- Time Spent Outdoors and Associations with Sleep, Optimism, Happiness and Health before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Austria.Clocks & sleep · 2023Article
- Dispositional Optimism, Mode of Delivery, and Perceived Labor Control among Recently Delivered Parturients.American journal of perinatology · 2023Observational
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 3 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Dispositional optimism is a potentially modifiable factor and has been associated with multiple physical health outcomes, but its relationship with depression, especially later in life, remains unclear. In the Nurses´ Health Study (n = 33,483), we examined associations between dispositional optimism and depression risk in women aged 57-85 (mean = 69.9, SD = 6.8), with 4,051 cases of incident depression and 10 years of follow-up (2004-2014). We defined depression as either having a physician/clinician-diagnosed depression, or regularly using antidepressants, or the presence of severe depressive symptoms using validated self-reported scales. Age- and multivariable-adjusted Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) across optimism quartiles and for a 1-standard deviation (SD) increment of the optimism score. In sensitivity analyses we explored more restrictive definitions of depression, potential mediators, and moderators. In multivariable-adjusted models, women with greater optimism (top vs. bottom quartile) had a 27% (95%CI = 19-34%) lower risk of depression. Every 1-SD increase in the optimism score was associated with a 15% (95%CI = 12-18%) lower depression risk. When applying a more restrictive definition for clinical depression, the association was considerably attenuated (every 1-SD increase in the optimism score was associated with a 6% (95%CI = 2-10%-) lower depression risk. Stratified analyses by baseline depressive symptoms, age, race, and birth region revealed comparable estimates, while mediators (emotional support, social network size, healthy lifestyle), when combined, explained approximately 10% of the optimism-depression association. As social and behavioral factors only explained a small proportion of the association, future research should investigate other potential pathways, such as coping strategies, that may relate optimism to depression risk.
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