Genetic Epidemiology, Translational Neurogenomics, Psychiatric Genetics and Statistical Genetics Laboratories investigate the pattern of disease in families, particularly identical and non-identical twins, to assess the relative importance of genes and environment in a variety of important health problems.
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PMID
32724068
TITLE
Pessimism is associated with greater all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, but optimism is not protective.
ABSTRACT
Scores on an optimistic-pessimistic personality scale have been associated with mortality, but optimism and pessimism scores are separable traits and it is unclear which has effects on health or longevity. The Life Orientation Test (LOT), containing items for optimism and pessimism, was included in a twin study on health of Australians aged over 50 in 1993-1995. After a mean of 20 years, participants were matched against death information from the Australian National Death Index. 1,068 out of 2,978 participants with useable LOT scores had died. Survival analysis tested for associations between separate optimism and pessimism scores and mortality from any cause, and from cancers, cardiovascular diseases or other known causes. Age-adjusted scores on the pessimism scale were associated with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality (Hazard Ratios per 1 standard deviation unit, 95% confidence intervals and p-values 1.134, 1.065-1.207, 8.85 × 10 and 1.196, 1.045-1.368, 0.0093, respectively) but not with cancer deaths. Optimism scores, which were only weakly correlated with pessimism scores (age-adjusted rank correlation = - 0.176), did not show significant associations with overall or cause-specific mortality. Reverse causation (disease causing pessimism) is unlikely because in that case both cardiovascular diseases and cancers would be expected to lead to pessimism.
DATE PUBLISHED
2020 Jul 28
HISTORY
PUBSTATUS PUBSTATUSDATE
received 2019/10/21
accepted 2020/07/07
entrez 2020/07/30 06:00
pubmed 2020/07/30 06:00
medline 2020/07/30 06:00
AUTHORS
NAME COLLECTIVENAME LASTNAME FORENAME INITIALS AFFILIATION AFFILIATIONINFO
Whitfield JB Whitfield John B JB Genetic Epidemiology, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, 300 Herston Road, Brisbane, QLD, 4006, Australia. John.Whitfield@qimrberghofer.edu.au.
Zhu G Zhu Gu G Genetic Epidemiology, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, 300 Herston Road, Brisbane, QLD, 4006, Australia.
Landers JG Landers J George JG , Chania, Crete, Greece.
Martin NG Martin Nicholas G NG Genetic Epidemiology, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, 300 Herston Road, Brisbane, QLD, 4006, Australia.
INVESTIGATORS
JOURNAL
VOLUME: 10
ISSUE: 1
TITLE: Scientific reports
ISOABBREVIATION: Sci Rep
YEAR: 2020
MONTH: Jul
DAY: 28
MEDLINEDATE:
SEASON:
CITEDMEDIUM: Internet
ISSN: 2045-2322
ISSNTYPE: Electronic
MEDLINE JOURNAL
MEDLINETA: Sci Rep
COUNTRY: England
ISSNLINKING: 2045-2322
NLMUNIQUEID: 101563288
PUBLICATION TYPE
PUBLICATIONTYPE TEXT
Journal Article
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