Optimism and its correlates among outpatients with major depressive disorder in a mental health facility in West Africa

Background: Optimism is a positive psychological trait that influences mental health outcomes particularly in individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD). While widely studied in high-income settings, less is known about the level of optimism and its correlates among patients with MDD in the developing nations of Africa. The objective of this study is to assess the level of optimism and its association with sociodemographic, clinical, and psychological variables among outpatients with MDD in a mental health facility in West Africa. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 61 randomly selected adults diagnosed with MDD attending psychiatric outpatient clinic at Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Lagos, Nigeria. Data were collected using Sociodemographic and clinical questionnaires, Oslo Social Support Scale (OSSS), Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES), and the Revised Life Orientation Test (LOT-R). Descriptive statistics, t-tests, ANOVA, and correlation analyses were conducted at a 5% significance level. Results: The mean optimism score was 14.26 ± 2.55, with a range of 5 to 19. Male participants reported significantly higher optimism than females (p = 0.011). Participants without a history of psychiatric hospitalization had higher optimism scores (p = 0.022). Self-efficacy was positively correlated with optimism (r = 0.257, p = 0.045), while self-esteem showed no significant association. Other sociodemographic and clinical factors, including age, education, and comorbidity, were not significantly associated with optimism. Conclusion: The identification of gender, hospitalization history, and self-efficacy as key correlates of optimism in individuals with MDD provides insights into how individual characteristics and mental health history influence positive outlooks in a clinical population and suggests potential targets for interventions for the patients.