The Influence of Optimistic Expectations and Negative Life Events on Somatic Symptoms among Adolescents: A One-Year Prospective Study

Abstract

This study prospectively examined the main effect of optimism on subsequent somatic symptomatology as well as optimism as moderating factors in the link between negative life events and somatic symptoms in a sample of 198 (111 females, 87 males) students in a Norwegian senior high school. Results from the longitudinal multivariate analyses, indicated that the scores for optimism and negative life events were significantly associated with scores of somatic symptoms at time-point two (T2). Moreover, a significant Optimism × Negative life events interaction was found in predicting somatic symptoms. Implications of these findings are discussed.