The Psychological Benefits of an Uncertain World: Hope and Optimism in the Face of Existential Threat

Michael Smithson*, Yiyun Shou, Amy Dawel, Alison L. Calear, Louise Farrer, Nicolas Cherbuin

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    7 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    We examine how prior mental health predicts hopes and how hopes predict subsequent mental health, testing hypotheses in a longitudinal study with an Australian nation-wide adult sample regarding mental health consequences of the COVID-19 outbreak during its initial stage. Quota sampling was used to select a sample representative of the adult Australian population in terms of age groups, gender, and geographical location. Mental health measures were selected to include those with the best psychometric properties. Hypotheses were tested using generalized linear models with random intercepts, with the type of GLM determined by the nature of the dependent variable. Greater anxiety, depression, distress, and loneliness predict less hope, but impaired quality of life and stress positively predict hopes of gaining new skills. Distress and loneliness predict hopes for social connectedness and an improved society, suggesting that predictors of hope depend on what is hoped for. These findings suggest the need for more nuanced theories of hope. Greater hopes for societal improvement predict lower anxiety, depression, distress, and impaired quality of life, but greater hopes for skills and better mental health predict higher levels of these covariates. Moreover, when relevant prior psychological states are more intense, the impact of hope state declines. These findings indicate that the consequences of hope are heterogeneous, and suggest a possible explanation for the seemingly inconsistent therapeutic effectiveness of raising hope.

    Original languageEnglish
    Article number749093
    JournalFrontiers in Psychology
    Volume13
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 23 Mar 2022

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'The Psychological Benefits of an Uncertain World: Hope and Optimism in the Face of Existential Threat'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this