Abstract
Objective: To examine the relationship among optimism, coping strategies, and subjective well-being in medical students and to find the gender differences in terms of the study variables.
Methodology: This correlational study was conducted from June 2021 to July 2021 on medical students from different medical universities of Pakistan. Sample consisted of 150 medical students with 66 males (mean age 21.5±1.867) and 84 females (mean age 19.32±6.078) from government medical universities. Purposive sampling was used. Optimism Scale by Pedrosa et al. (2015), COPE Inventory by Carver (1989) and Well-being Scale by Diener (1985) were used along with the demographic information sheet to measure these variables.
Results: Pearson correlation revealed that optimism had significant positive and moderate correlation with well-being (r=.673, p<0.01) and had a positive and moderate correlation with cope (r=.493, p<0.01). Well-being had significant positive and moderate correlation with cope (r=.330, p<0.01). Regression analysis revealed that optimism was a significant predictor. Positive re interpretation and growth (β= 0.35, p=0.001) active coping (β=0.459, p=0.001) and planning (β=0.38, p=0.001) were significant predictors of well-being in medical students.
Conclusion: Medical students who were found higher on optimism were also higher in the use of adaptive coping strategies, which collectively enhanced their subjective well-being. Male students were found higher in terms of optimism, adaptive coping strategies and subjective well-being than female students.

Key words: Positive thinking, psychological adaptation, health, medical students.