OPTIMISM AS A FACTOR IN MENTAL HEALTH IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS

Abstract

The paper deals with the relation of optimism with various aspects of children’s and teenagers’ mental health. It is underlined that children and teenagers belong to vulnerable groups of population, so the problem of maintaining mental health of these groups’ representatives is of high importance. It is pointed out that optimism is a personality factor which is capable to counteract environmental negative psychological impact. It is determined that optimism can improve relations of children and teenagers with their peers, though it is necessary to take into account gender differences and additional investigations are also needed. Optimism can also counteract the development of children’s academic stress. Moreover, optimism can be a factor of psychological well-being of teenagers, who often suffer from discrimination. A certain role of optimism in reducing of post-traumatic stress disorder of younger teenagers is indicated. Positive convictions, being constituents of optimism structure, are related to post-traumatic growth in the age group. When some illness endangers children’s lives, creating significant discomfort for their functioning, optimism can be useful as a factor that helps to overcome these negative life conditions. Moreover, the development of children’s and teenagers’ optimism can contribute to the decrease of their suicidal thoughts. It is stated that as a factor which counteracts anxiety and depression optimism does not always perform this role in the case of children. It can be assumed that optimism reduces the level of children’s depression and anxiety only when it is combined with some other factors. It is specified that optimism, if it has been formed in childhood or during adolescence, has a positive impact on the future adult life of a person: it increases life satisfaction and social integration of adults and prevents the development of depression.