Dispositional Optimism and All-Cause Mortality in Older Adults: A Cohort Study.

Craig HJ, Ryan J, Freak-Poli R, Owen A, McNeil J, Woods R, Ward S, Britt C, Gasevic D

Psychosomatic medicine · October 1, 2021

Objective: We aim to investigate whether dispositional optimism is associated with all-cause mortality in adults 70 years and older. Results: A total of 11,701 participants (mean age = 75.1 years) were followed for a median of 4.7 years, during which 469 deaths occurred. The fully adjusted model was not significant (hazard ratio = 0.78, 95% CI = 0.58-1.06). There was evidence that age was an effect modifier of the association between optimism and longevity. Higher optimism was associated with lower mortality risk in the oldest individuals only (77+ years; hazard ratio = 0.61, 95% CI = 0.39-0.96). Conclusions: We observed no independent relationship between optimism and all-cause mortality in the total sample, although optimism seemed to be associated with lower risk among the oldest old.

PMID: 34334727 · DOI: 10.1097/PSY.0000000000000989