García Fernández-Abascal, EnriqueMartín Díaz, María DoloresBeneyto Molina, Vicent Blai2024-10-082024-10-082018-03-02Fernández-Abascal EG, Martín-Díaz MD, Moli- na VBB (2018) Different Conceptualizations of Optimism/ Pessimism and Their Relationship with Physical and Mental Health and Health-Related Behaviors. J Depress Anxiety Disord 2(1):41-542643-5993http://doi.org/10.36959/362/472https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14468/23960Background: There are practically no studies on the relationship between defensive pessimism and health. The objectives are (i) To examine the relationship between dispositional optimism and physical and mental health, and also between health behaviors, and (ii) To determine possible differences in physical and mental health, and health behaviors, exploring three different conceptualizations of optimism/pessimism. Methods: The association between dispositional optimism (LOT-R), and physical and mental health (SF-36), and Health-Related Behaviors (HBC), were examined. We applied the OPQ to extract three groups from the total of participants, classified as dispositional-realistic pessimism, defensive pessimism, and dispositional-realistic optimism. Results: Dispositional optimism was a predictor of all the components of mental and physical health, it predicted mental health more strongly, is also a predictor of preventive health behavior. In the comparison of the study groups, dispositional-realistic optimism had the highest score in the SF-36 and in the Preventive Health Behavior. In Substance Risk Taking, defensive pessimism and dispositional-realistic optimism have a protective connotation. Conclusions: Dispositional optimism is a significant predictor of good mental and physical health outcomes. Dispositional-realistic optimists enjoy better health status and/or better quality of life in the different areas of mental and physical health, and perform more healthy behaviors. Of the study groups, on average, dispositional-realistic optimists were older.eninfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess61 PsicologíaartículoDefensive pessimismDispositional pessimismDispositional optimismMental healthPhysical healthHealth protective behaviorsAge differences