Dispositional optimism buffers the impact of daily hassles on mental health in Chinese adolescents

The moderating effect of dispositional optimism on the link between daily hassles and mental health was investigated in a group of 345 Chinese high school students in Hong Kong. Optimism, daily hassles and mental health were measured by a Chinese version of the revised Life Orientation Test, the Inventory of High School Students' Recent Life Experiences and the General Health Questionnaire, respectively. Results of multiple linear regression analyses show that optimism had a significant stress-buffering effect. Specifically, optimistic students tended to fare better than their pessimistic peers when the experience of hassles increased. These findings suggest that the stress-buffering effect of optimism, which has been demonstrated largely in student or adult samples. may be extended to younger age groups in a non-Western context. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.