OPTIMISM AND PAIN INTERFERENCE IN AGING WOMEN

Abstract Pain limits individuals’ ability to engage in activities that promote well-being. This longitudinal-burst daily diary study tested reciprocal relationships among pain, optimism, pain interference, and activity in older women. Multilevel models tested between- and within-person relationships among these variables. Pain best predicted interference (person: γ001 = .227, SE = .022, p < .0001; wave: γ010 = .267, SE = .014, p < .0001; day: γ100 = .246, SE = .010, p < .0001); optimism best predicted activity (γ002 = .684, SE = .101, p < .0001). In linear regression models, baseline optimism (sr2 = 0.560, p < .0001), less interference (sr2 = 0.064, p < .0001), and more activity (sr2 = 0.015, p = .013) predicted higher end-of-study optimism. Ultimately, more optimistic women were significantly more active than less optimistic women, and less interference and more activity promoted increased optimism, creating a virtuous cycle that enhances well-being among older women.