Optimism, Pessimism, Coping, and Depression: A Study on Individuals With Parkinson’s Disease

Few published studies exist on how individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD) deal with their disease. We conducted this study to examine the relationship between optimism, pessimism, coping strategies, and depressive symptoms in individuals with PD. Specifically, we assessed the possible mediator role of optimism and pessimism on the relation between coping strategies and depressive symptoms in those with PD. Seventy individuals with PD (35 females and 35 males) were assessed with the Brief COPE scale, Life Orientation Test-Revised, and Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale. Findings showed that individuals with PD used similar amounts of problem-focused coping strategies and emotion-focused coping strategies, and they reported more optimism than pessimism. There was only one gender difference: Females reported more problem-focused coping than males. Optimism was positively related to both emotion-focused and problem-focused coping, and pessimism was negatively related to emotion-focused and problem-focused coping. Optimism and pessimism fully mediated the relation between coping strategies and depressive symptoms.