Optimism and pessimism in children: A study of parenting correlates

Abstract

The present study investigated the relation between mothers’ generalised expectancies, mothers’ self-reported parenting practices, and their children’s optimism, pessimism, and depressive symptoms. A community sample of 81 children, 8–12 years old, and their mothers participated. Questionnaires were used to assess four parenting dimensions (control, structure, support, and autonomy granting), as well as mothers’ and children’s optimism, pessimism, and depressive symptoms. Results showed that maternal pessimism correlated with child pessimism, and that maternal depressive symptoms correlated negatively with child optimism. Multiple regressions indicated that mothers who were moderately controlling had children who showed the most optimism, whereas those who allowed their children little autonomy in problem solving had children with the highest level of depressive symptoms.