Pessimism, Reflective Planning, Self-Handicapping, Health Behaviors and Depressed Mood in Taiwanese Young Adults

Abstract

Extensive research supports that pessimism leads to negative effects on health and emotions. However, there is also evidence indicating that some forms of pessimism may be adaptive for adjustment. The present study investigates the effects of pessimistic trait, reflective planning and self-handicapping on individuals’ health behavior and depressive mood. The samples comprised 322 Taiwanese young adults. Structural equation modeling analyses indicated that pessimists adopting reflective planning as coping were more likely to engage in health-promoting behaviors and report lower depressed mood. In contrast, pessimists adopting self-handicapping as coping were tended to engage in fewer health behaviors and report higher depressed mood. These data are interpreted as evidence that pessimism has the potential for leading to use either reflective planning or self-handicapping as coping strategies, and that the two strategies are related to different behavioral and psychological consequences. Richer understanding of the interactive effects of pessimism and coping strategies on health-related outcomes requires more objective measurement and longitudinal research design.

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