Optimism, Pessimism, and Their Relationship to Some Psychological Variables among Students of Al-Merghib University in Al-Khums City

Abstract

  The aim of the current research was to identify the levels of optimism, pessimism, and depression among a sample of students at Al-Merghib University, to explore the relationship between these variables, and to test differences according to gender, academic year, faculty, and academic achievement.
The research sample consisted of (100) male and female students from the Faculties of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering at Al-Merghib University, selected randomly. The researcher used two scales for data collection: a depression scale (30 items) and an optimism-pessimism scale (30 items). After verifying face validity, internal consistency, and Cronbach's alpha reliability, the instruments were applied to the sample during the academic year 2023/2024.
The results showed the following: 54.3% of the sample had a moderate level of depression, 39.5% had a low level, and 6.2% had a high level. 87.7% of the sample had a high level of optimism, 12.3% had a moderate level, and no individual had a low level of optimism. 84% of the sample had a moderate level of pessimism, 11.1% had a low level, and 4.9% had a high level. Two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed no statistically significant effect of optimism on depression, while a significant effect of pessimism on depression was found, with pessimism explaining approximately 18% of the variance in depression.
Scheffé's test results showed significant differences in depression between those with low pessimism and those with moderate and high pessimism, in favor of the latter.
No statistically significant differences were found in the study variables according to academic year or academic achievement.
Significant differences were found in the level of optimism according to the faculty variable, as engineering students were less optimistic compared to arts and science students.
The researcher recommends enhancing optimism among students, training them in positive coping strategies, and conducting further studies with larger samples and more diverse measurement tools.