The relationship between parents' personality traits and level of optimism and level of optimism of their adolescent children

Optimism is one of the personality traits which have an important role in preventing depression. With respect to high prevalence of depression in adolescence and with taking the important role of parents in development of their children personality traits, the aim of this research was to study the relationship between parents' personality traits and level of optimism and level of optimism of their adolescent children . The sample included 384 high school students (203 girls and 181 boys) in Tehran city during the academic year of 1386-1387 with their parents. The participants completed the revised life orientation test (Carver and Scheier, 1994) and the short form of personality traits questionnaire (Mc. Crea and Costa, 1992). The results indicate that there is a positive and meaningful relation between parents' level of optimism and their adolescent children level of optimism. Findings also indicate that there is a meaningful relation between some of parents' personality traits such as: fathers' extraversion, fathers' neuroticism, mothers' neuroticism, mothers agreeableness , fathers' agreeableness, and fathers' consciousness' and children level of optimism. But no meaningful relation were found between mothers extraversion, mothers openness, fathers openness and mothers consciousness' and children level of optimism. There was also no meaningful difference between girls and boys level of optimism.