| In this study, the roles of parenting style, significant life events, and non-parental adult support were examined in an attempt to predict optimism. A total of 200 college students (71 males, 129 females) participated in this research. Data were collected in 6 undergraduate psychology and physical education classes in the spring, 2004 semester. Analysis of variance was performed to determine whether mean differences existed in optimism scores, as measured by the Life Orientation Test-Revised, between participants with parents who employed Baumrind's authoritative, permissive, or authoritarian parenting styles. Differences between those who had experienced a significant life event and/or the presence of a non-parent adult who provided support were also analyzed. Findings revealed that two parents who were authoritative did produce the most optimistic offspring and two parents who were authoritarian produced less optimistic offspring. Additionally, life events and the presence of significant adult support did not predict optimism on the LOT-R. |
