The positive repercussions of optimism may be related to the greater probability of adopting health-promoting behaviours and coping strategies that enable better psychic adjustment (Carver and Scheier, 2014, 2019). Studies has found that optimism is related to fewer symptoms of depression, higher levels of wellbeing, lower attrition rates, and stronger perceptions of social support (Forgeard and Seligman, 2012 Schug et al., 2021). Optimists are more focused on generalised expectations rather than how or why the goal is achieved (Carver and Scheier, 2002). What is expected to happen in the future can affect how people experience situations in their daily lives, their health, and how they deal with emotions and stress. Optimists generally have more positive than negative expectations and tend to report less distress in their daily lives, even in the face of challenges (Carver et al., 2010). In this context, optimism is defined as a cognitive variable reflecting one's favourable view about their future (Carver and Scheier, 2019). There is empirical evidence supporting the notion that both attitudes contribute to positive outcomes (Schiavon et al., 2017 Pleeging et al., 2021). Whether optimism and hope can affect physical and mental health has been discussed among academics around the world (Milona, 2020). We also intend to point out some interventions that promote hope and optimism, where mental and psychiatric health nursing play an important role.īenefits of Optimism And Hope For Positive Mental Health This opinion paper aims to examine some differences between optimism and hope, and integrate these constructs in the context of positive mental health. Hope and optimism, although often used interchangeably in clinical discourse, are in fact distinct constructs, corresponding to distinct mechanisms by which expectations shape human behaviour and produce positive outcomes (Gallagher and Lopez, 2009 Schiavon et al., 2017). The conceptualizations of dispositional hope (Snyder, 2002) and dispositional optimism (Scheier and Carver, 1985 Carver and Scheier, 2014) share several elements: (a) personality traits, (b) cognitive constructs, (c) reference to general expectancies, (d) relation to significant personal goals, (e) future orientation, and (f) acting as determinants of behaviour (Krafft et al., 2021). Positive expectations for the future, commonly conceptualised as hope and optimism in the literature, can act as potential mechanisms toward achieving positive mental health (Gallagher and Lopez, 2009, 2018). There is a need for mental health literacy programs that are focused on hope, and provide accurate information about disorders and recovery. Applied to Meleis ( 2010) theory, positive mental health can facilitate a healthy changeover within a transitional process, since personal, community, and social conditions can foster or restrict healthy transitions and the outcome of transitions. Positive mental health encompasses the personal resources to face life's challenges, foster satisfactory relationships with others, and achieve psychological wellbeing, including feelings of satisfaction with life, vitality and energy, and physical wellbeing (Teixeira et al., 2019). This research has begun to clarify the determinants of positive mental health (Gallagher and Lopez, 2009 Das et al., 2020). Recently, there has been increased interest in assessing the attributes, structure and individual variability of wellbeing and identifying its psychological promotors. Notwithstanding, the mental-ill health approach is still predominant, with authors suggesting the need to improve “mental health literacy” and promote access to mental health services (Mansfield et al., 2020). Positive psychology studies adaptation to adversity and aims to identify factors that favour good psychological adjustment, as well as physical and mental health (Reppold et al., 2015 Phan et al., 2020). Existential perspectives use this basic insight to advocate that suffering is an inherent part of life that must be confronted, rather than avoided or amended (Israelashvili, 2021). As the world confronts the COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences, including an associated mental health crisis, finding meaning and building positive processes and capacities will help strengthen future mental health (Waters et al., 2021).
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