Inculcating Dispositional Optimism for Prevention of Mental and Substance Use Disorders throughout and after the Coronavirus Disease-19 Pandemic

Abstract

There is a growing crisis of mental and substance use disorders (MSUDs), especially in adolescents and young adults, and this is expected to further escalate very rapidly as a consequence of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and the economic downturn. Dispositional optimism is an effective buffer against the development of mental disorders and a change from pessimism to optimism empowers individuals with rational choices, decisions, and helps control high-risk behaviors. A proactive preventive intervention with learned optimism skill sets started much earlier in life is expected to offer benefits for the mental health and well-being of young individuals and emerging adults. In this review, we discuss the burden of MSUDs among young individuals and summarize the rationale and unmet need for learned optimism as a protective behavior against MSUDs.