Influences of Optimism and Pessimism on Coping Strategies: Examining the Moderating Effect of Importance of Stressful Events

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  • WATANABE Masanari
    Department of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, Hirosaki University Present affiliation: Gifu Prefectural Consultation Center for Persons with Intellectual Disabilities
  • HASEGAWA Akira
    Faculty of Human Relations, Tokai Gakuin University

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  • 楽観性と悲観性がコーピング方略に与える影響 ―重要性の異なる2場面を設定した上での検討―
  • ラッカンセイ ト ヒカンセイ ガ コーピング ホウリャク ニ アタエル エイキョウ : ジュウヨウセイ ノ コトナル 2 バメン オ セッテイ シタ ウエ デ ノ ケントウ

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Abstract

Relationships between optimism and pessimism with coping strategies for more significant and less significant stressors were investigated to clarify differences between characteristics of optimism and pessimism. University students (N=145) completed a measure assessing optimism, pessimism, and coping strategies. Participants responded to scales assessing coping strategies while recalling significant and less significant academic stressors. Results indicated that optimism was positively correlated with planning, information seeking and positive interpretation strategies for more significant stressors. Moreover, correlations between optimism and positive interpretations of the two types of stressors were different, indicating that optimists often use positive interpretation strategies for significant stressors, which was not the case for less significant stressors, probably to save cognitive resources. Furthermore, pessimism was significantly and positively correlated with the strategy of procrastinating in response to both types of stressors, even after controlling for the influence of optimism. These differences in the relationship between optimism and pessimism with coping strategies are suggestive of distinct features of the two constructs.

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