The Unique Effects of Hope, Optimism, and Self-Efficacy on Subjective Well-Being and Depression in German Adults

Positive thinking is a source of mental health. Hope, optimism, and generalized self-efficacy (GSE) are three factors of positive thinking that are strongly correlated but theoretically distinct. Specifically, these positive thinking factors covary with subjective well-being (composed of positive affect, negative affect, and satisfaction with life; SWB) and depression. However, the distinctiveness of hope, optimism, and GSE and their independent contributions to predicting SWB and depression is not well documented empirically. The present study used confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling in a large ( n = 6077), older (M = 62.49, SD = 11.63), German sample. The sample was 51.3% male with no statistically significant differences in the predictors based on gender. We found the following results. First, the three factors of hope, optimism, and GSE better accounted for their individual items than a single overarching factor of positive thinking. However, because hope and GSE were not identifiable as distinct latent constructs in this sample ( r = .98), they were modeled as one construct in subsequent analyses. Second, combined hope/GSE and optimism had a strong positive relationship ( r = .74) among themselves and a weak to moderate positive relationship with higher SWB (positive affect, r = .70; negative affect, r = −.42; satisfaction with life, r = .68) and lower depression ( r = −.44). Third, hope/GSE and optimism in the same model had unique weak to moderate latent effects on SWB and depression. The fact that hope and GSE were not distinguishable in this sample ran contrary to the existing literature. Overall, the positive thinking factors were highly correlated with each other and were found to be significant predictors of higher well-being and lower depression in this sample. Further investigation of the lack of distinctiveness of positive thinking in this sample is warranted given these unexpected findings.