The Prospective Relationships between Dispositional Optimism and Subjective and Psychological Well-being in Children and Adolescents

Optimism is a construct considered fundamental for human functioning and well-being; however, few studies link optimism to subjective and psychological well-being during childhood and adolescence. Therefore, the objective of this study is to demonstrate the prospective relationships between dispositional optimism, and subjective well-being (SWB) and psychological well-being (PWB) through a prospective study with 479 children aged 10.74 years old (SD = 0.72) and 503 adolescents aged 13.41 years old (SD = 1.09). Two cross-lagged models were calculated, one for each group, which responded the questionnaires in two waves one year apart from each other. The results of the first cross-lagged model with children show positive and prospective relationships between optimism (Time 1) and the cognitive and affective components of SWB (Time 2) and the indicator of PWB (Time 2). Equivalent results are observed in the cross-lagged model conducted with the adolescent sample. Finally, multi-group analysis was performed to evaluate the existence of gender-based invariance. The findings indicated variations between the models, notably, a more pronounced influence of optimism on psychological well-being was discerned among girls, encompassing both childhood and adolescence. The results were discussed, emphasizing the relevance of developing optimism as a dispositional trait at early ages.