The effect of stressor experiences and optimism upon stress responses

Abstract

The present studies investigated whether or not optimism/pessimism is a cognitive mediator of future depression for people who have experienced many negative life events. Subjects were administered optimism scales, stress response scales at Time 1. They then completed the stressor scale and stress response scales at Time 2, about six weeks later. The results showed the interaction of stressor experiences and optimistic diathesis: Subjects who have higher stressor experiences and higher stable and global explanatory style for negative events showed higher depressive responses. Other indices of optimistic diathesis—Life Orientation, Cognitive Style, and Internality dimension of Attributional Style —did not produce this interaction effect. Moreover, this interaction did not appear in the psychological stress response other than depression. These results were consistent with diathesis-stress model of depression. Copyright © 1994, The Japanese Psychological Association. All rights reserved.