ABSTRACT
Background Notes: Researchers who were interested in the relationship between optimism and care-seeking behavior studied 135 women at a breast surgery clinic in an urban hospital. Theresearchers measured a number of variables including:
1. Delay in seeking care. Measured as the number of days between noticing a symptom and seeking medical assistance. 2. Optimism. Measured with the Life Orientation Test (LOT). Sample item: "In uncertain times, I usually expect the best." Each of the eight items was scored on a five-point scale from 0 (strongly disagree) to 4 (strongly agree). Then, for each woman, the scores on the eight items were averaged, yielding scores from 0 to 4. 3. Age. Measured in years. 4. Race. Coded as W =White, A= African-American. 5. Education. Coded from 0 (less than 8th grade) through 7 (doctorate or professional degree). Note that 3 =high school diploma.
