Optimismo disposicional y sus relaciones con la salud, la calidad de vida y el bienestar:

La investigacin generada hasta el momento ha encontrado que las creencias positivas como
el optimismo pueden servir como un factor protector contra futuros problemas de salud fsica
y mental (Atienza, Stephens y Townsend, 2002; Giltay, Geleijnse, Zitman, Hoekstra y Schouten,
2004, Giltay, Kamphuis, Kalmijn, Zitman y Kromhout, 2006; Kubzansky, Sparrow, Vokonas y
Kawachi, 2001; Maruta, Colligan, Malinchoc y Offord, 2002, Peterson, Vaillant y Seligman,
1988; Scheier y Carver, 1985, 1987, 1992; Scheier y cols., 1989; Seligman, 1991; Taylor, 1989).
En concreto, se ha hallado que el optimismo disposicional favorece la adaptacin al
tratamiento y al estrs que generan las enfermedades cardacas (Fitzgerald, Tennen, Affleck y
Pransky, 1993; King, Rowe, Kimble y Zerwic, 1998; Mahler y Kulik, 2000; Matthews, Raikkonen,
Sutton-Tyrrell, y Kuller, 2004; Rasmussen, Wrosch, Scheier y Carver, 2006; Scheier y cols.,
1989), la mejor adaptacin al diagnstico y tratamiento del cncer (Carver y cols., 1993, 2005;
Johnson, 1996; Trunzo y Pinto, 2003); y una menor angustia experimentada tras el diagnstico
del SIDA, as como un menor riesgo de mortalidad asociado a la misma (Maruta, 2000)
En lo que respecta a la salud mental, se ha encontrado que el optimismo disposicional se
encuentra asociado a menores niveles de depresin (Seligman, Abramson, Semmel y Baeyer,
1979), as como a un mayor ajuste psicolgico en el periodo de embarazo y post-parto (Carver
y Gaines, 1987; Fontaine y Jones, 1997; Park y Gutchess, 2006; Rini, Dunkel-Schetter, Wadhwa
y Sandman, 1999; Taylor y cols., 1992). Adems, en un estudio realizado con gemelos mayores
de 50 aos (61 aos de media) se encontr que los genes de los adultos mayores que
predisponen a un optimismo elevado tambin predisponen a una mejor salud mental y
autopercibida (Mosing, Zietsch, Shekar, Wright y Martin, 2009).
Kostka y Jachimowicz (2010) realizaron un estudio con personas mayores institucionalizadas y
no institucionalizadas, hallando que la calidad de vida relacionada con la salud de las personas
mayores descenda conforme aumentaba su grado de dependencia y de institucionalizacin
(ancianos no institucionalizados residentes en la comunidad, ancianos independientes que
vivan en hogares asistidos y ancianos residentes en instituciones para el cuidado de la tercera
edad). A su vez, el optimismo disposicional, junto al locus de control interno relativo a la salud
y a la autoeficacia percibida, se asoci claramente con una mayor calidad de vida relacionada
con la salud, promoviendo un envejecimiento saludable.

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