The optimism scale for adolescents: evidence of validity, normalization, and development of the technical manual

• Grant number: 24/09670-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: April 01, 2025
• End date: March 31, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Psychology - Fundamentals and Assessments in Psychology
• Principal Investigator: Tatiana de Cássia Nakano
• Grantee: Laís Santos Vitti
• Host Institution: Pró-Reitoria de Pesquisa, Pós-Graduação e Extensão. Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Campinas (PUC-CAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Dispositional optimism is a personality trait that involves emotional, behavioral, and cognitive aspects. It refers to the belief in positive future outcomes. This trait proves to be important throughout life, especially during adolescence, as it can contribute to positive development in adolescence, disease prevention, health promotion, and well-being. Although relevant, no instruments have been identified that were developed to assess this construct in the national context. Therefore, the Optimism Scale for Brazilian Adolescents aged 14 to 19 years was developed, which aims to assess beliefs about the future, perseverance, and coping strategies used by this audience. With this, this research project aims to evaluate evidence of validity, establish standardization norms, and write the technical manual for this test. To this end, four distinct studies will be conducted. In the first study, precision will be evaluated by evaluating temporal stability. The second study will examine the evidence of validity based on the relationship between external variables of the convergent and divergent types, as well as related constructs. The third will establish the norms for interpreting the test. Lastly, the fourth study will consist of the redaction of the technical manual and the subsequent dissemination of the test to the Psychological Test Assessment System. (AU)