Style attributionnel et burn-out au travail : une analyse en cluster

In the domain of the workplace, burnout appears as an important consequence of stressful events experienced by an individual. But how to define it, and what reality does this concept represent? The benefits of optimism, and particularly of an optimistic explanatory style, have also been demonstrated on a set of other variables such as health, performance and resilience. If an optimistic explanatory style is an important variable, what are the relationships that can be observed with burnout? The purpose of this study is to explore the links that exist between explanatory styles and burnout assuming that there are different types of profiles according to the styles of the individuals, whether they are actually optimistic or pessimistic, or neither one nor the other. Through a cluster analysis, the results of this study revealed: 1) the existence of three different profiles of explanatory styles, ranging from optimistic to pessimistic; and 2) it was indeed possible to associate levels of burnout with the profiles of these styles.     

Is death anxiety more closely linked with optimism or pessimism among older adults?

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether death anxiety is more closely linked with optimism or pessimism among older adults. Participants consisted of community-dwelling older adults (N = 253; 73.1% female) in the southern U.S. Both optimism and pessimism demonstrated a bivariate association with death anxiety; however, when considering optimism and pessimism together—and after controlling for age, gender, physical health, and mental health—optimism was not associated with death anxiety, while pessimism was associated with higher death anxiety. Post hoc analyses found a unique relationship between pessimism and greater fear of the unknown. Perhaps, given the inevitability of death, limiting negative expectancies is more salient to death anxiety than having positive expectancies, and pessimism may be particularly associated with existential and religious concerns.     

Consumption of Cigarettes,Alcohol, and Marijuana Among New York City Residents Six Months After the September 11 Terrorist Attacks

This study investigated the relationship between three personal resources (self-mastery, optimism, and abstinence self-efficacy) and ways of coping among recovering substance abusers (n=52) residing in Oxford Houses. Although residents' scores on optimism and abstinence self-efficacy were significantly correlated in a positive direction, residents' self-mastery scores were significantly and negatively related to both optimism and abstinence self-efficacy scores. However, residents reported using significantly more emotion-focused than problem-focused coping even though there was a significant positive relationship between emotion-focused coping and self-mastery. These paradoxical findings might be due to communal living and 12-step philosophy that is antithetical to a sense of control, which may have facilitated residents' emotional regulation to stress. Furthermore, significant relationships between coping strategies and personal resources imply that active coping strategies are instrumental in recovering substance abusers' use of optimism and abstinence self-efficacy, whereas passive coping strategies are involved with self-mastery. In addition, African American residents reported using significantly more wishful thinking coping, suggesting ethnicity might be an important aspect of the coping process. Overall, findings suggest that optimism and abstinence self-efficacy are effective personal resources for recovering substance abusers in 12-step programs.     

The Protective Role of Resilience in Attenuating Emotional Distress and Aggression Associated with Early-life Stress in Young Enlisted Military Service Candidates

Early life stress (ELS) may induce long-lasting psychological complications in adulthood. The protective role of resilience against the development of psychopathology is also important. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships among ELS, resilience, depression, anxiety, and aggression in young adults. Four hundred sixty-one army inductees gave written informed consent and participated in this study. We assessed psychopathology using the Korea Military Personality Test, ELS using the Childhood Abuse Experience Scale, and resilience with the resilience scale. Analyses of variance, correlation analyses, and hierarchical multiple linear regression analyses were conducted for statistical analyses. The regression model explained 35.8%, 41.0%, and 23.3% of the total variance in the depression, anxiety, and aggression indices, respectively. We can find that even though ELS experience is positively associated with depression, anxiety, and aggression, resilience may have significant attenuating effect against the ELS effect on severity of these psychopathologies. Emotion regulation showed the most beneficial effect among resilience factors on reducing severity of psychopathologies. To improve mental health for young adults, ELS assessment and resilience enhancement program should be considered.     

Perceived Stress,Positive Resources and Their Interactions as Possible Related Factors for Depressive Symptoms

Objective The present study aimed to explore how the patterns of interaction between stress and positive resources differ according to the severity of depression and which resources play the most important role among the various positive resources. Methods The study included 1,806 people who had visited a health screening center for a mental health check-up to evaluate the levels of perceived stress, positive resources, and depressive symptoms. The participants were divided into a depressive group (n=1,642, mean age 50.60, female 68%) and a non-depressive group (n=164, mean age 48.42, female 66.6%). We conducted hierarchical regression analyses and simple slope analyses to examine the interaction between perceived stress and positive resources. Results The interaction between perceived stress and optimism was significantly associated with depression in non-depressive groups. In depressive groups, the interactions between five types of positive resources (optimism, purpose in life, self-control, social support and care) and perceived stress were all significantly related to depression. Conclusion Interventions that promote optimism can be helpful for preventing inevitable stress from leading to depression. A deficiency in positive resources may be a factor in aggravating depression in stressful situations for people reporting moderate to severe depressive symptoms.     

A Network Model of Positive Resources,Temperament, Childhood Trauma,and Comorbid Symptoms for Patient with Depressive Disorders

ObjectiveTemperament, positive resources, childhood trauma, and other clinical comorbid symptoms are related to depressive symptom severity. Here, we used network analysis to examine the interrelations between these clinical factors in patients with depressive disorders. MethodsPatients with depressive disorders (n=454) completed self-report questionnaires evaluating clinical symptoms, childhood trauma, temperament, and positive resources. To identify network pattern and the most central aspect, we performed network analysis and centrality analyses. First, we analyzed the network pattern in total participants. Second, we established two groups of those with severe depressive symptoms and those with mild depressive symptoms and compared their network patterns. ResultsDeficient optimism and depression were the central factors in the network of total participants. In the group with severe depressive symptoms, lack of social support and childhood emotional trauma showed high centrality. Deficient social support and other positive resources played central roles in the group with mild depressive symptoms. ConclusionNetwork pattern of psychological factors was different between those with mild or severe depression. Lack of positive resources is an important factor in psychological processes in both mild and severe depression. However, childhood emotional trauma may play a relatively important role in patients with severe depressive symptoms.     

希望和大学生学业成就的关系自尊水平的调节作用

目的 调查希望、乐观与大学生学业成就的关系,以及自尊水平对此关系的调节作用.方法 对330名大学生进行了问卷调查,并利用层次回归的方法对数据进行分析.结果 希望的动力维度和大学生的学业成就相关显著（R =0.32,P＜0.01）;且在控制了相关的人口学变量之后,希望对学业成就的主效应仍然非常显著（R2 =0.073,P＜0.01）;自尊水平在希望预测大学生学业成就时的调节效应显著.结论 希望能显著的正向预测大学生的学业成就,乐观和学业成就相关不显著,这也说明了希望和乐观是两个独立的概念;自尊水平在希望预测大学生学业成就时起着调节的作用,希望对大学生学业成就的影响主要表现在中等自尊水平和低自尊水平的个体上.     

The link between optimism bias and attention bias: A neurocognitive perspective

Both optimism bias and reward-related attention bias have crucial implications for well-being and mental health. Yet, the extent to which the two biases interact remains unclear because, to date, they have mostly been discussed in isolation. Examining interactions between the two biases can lead to new directions in neurocognitive research by revealing their underlying cognitive and neurophysiological mechanisms. In the present article, we suggest that optimism bias and reward-related attention bias mutually enforce each other and recruit a common underlying neural network. Key components of this network include specific activations in the anterior and posterior cingulate cortex with connections to the amygdala. We further postulate that biased memory processes influence the interplay of optimism and reward-related attention bias. Studying such causal relations between cognitive biases reveals important information not only about normal functioning and adaptive neural pathways in maintaining mental health, but also about the development and maintenance of psychological diseases, thereby contributing to the effectiveness of treatment.     

An Examination of Optimism,Pessimism, and Performance Perfectionism as Predictors of Positive Psychological Functioning in Middle-Aged Adults: Does Holding High Standards of Performance Matter Beyond Generalized Outcome Expectancies?

Based on a multifunctional model of perfectionism (E. Chang, Cognitive Ther Res, 30:677–697, 2006), this study examined the relations between performance perfectionism, optimism, pessimism, and positive psychological functioning (e.g., self-acceptance, positive relations with others, and personal growth) in a sample of 246 middle-aged adults. Results from correlational analyses indicated that positive aspects of performance perfectionism, especially positive self-oriented performance perfectionism, were positively associated with positive psychological functioning, whereas negative aspects of performance perfectionism, especially negative selforiented performance perfectionism, were negative associated with positive psychological functioning. In addition, results of conducting regression analyses indicated that although optimism and pessimism were significant predictors of positive psychological functioning in middle-aged adults, the inclusion of positive and negative self-oriented performance perfectionism significantly augmented the prediction models examined. These findings point to a need to consider multiple determinants (including optimism, pessimism, and performance perfectionism) when studying positive psychological functioning in middle-aged adults. I would like to acknowledge Chang Suk-Choon and Tae Myung-Sook for their encouragement and support throughout this project.     

Worry, Optimism, and Expectations as Predictors of Anxiety and Performance in the First Year of Law School

Research suggests that worry, optimism, and expectations have subsequent effects on performance, which may be mediated through self-efficacy expectations. The first year of law school provides a unique naturalistic setting in which to study this process. Participants were recruited at orientation and assessed at five points during their first year of law school. Results indicated that worry was significantly related to self-efficacy and anxiety. Controlling for trait anxiety, higher levels of worry were also predictive of better academic performance. Expectations were positively related to class rank and performance on a final exam, and predicted first year law school grade-point average (GPA) even after controlling for undergraduate GPA and Law School Admissions Test score. Optimism was inversely related to both dispositional and state anxiety, although it was not related to performance. Implications of these findings for counseling first-year law students are discussed, and the results may generalize to other professional situations.