The State-Trait Hopelessness Scale: Development and Testing
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
4-2014
Publication Source
Western Journal of Nursing Research
Volume Number
36
Issue Number
4
First Page
552
Last Page
570
Publisher
Sage Publications Inc.
ISSN
0193-9459
Abstract
Hopelessness is predictive in the development of coronary heart disease (CHD) and can persist in patients after a CHD event, adversely affecting recovery. Hopelessness may represent a temporary response (state) or a chronic outlook (trait). Common hopelessness measures fail to differentiate state from trait hopelessness, a potentially important differentiation for treatment. The State-Trait Hopelessness Scale (STHS) was developed and pilot tested with two groups of college students (n = 39 and 190) and patients with CHD (n = 44). The instrument was then used with 520 patients, confirming reliability (Cronbach's ) for the State (.88) and Trait (.91) subscales and concurrent and predictive validity. Separate exploratory factor analyses showed two factors (hopelessness present or hopelessness absent) for the State and Trait subscales, accounting for 58.9% and 57.3% of variance, respectively. These findings support future use of the tool in clinical settings and in intervention studies focused on hopelessness.
Keywords
Hopelessness, State, Trait, Coronary Heart Disease, Depression, Rehabilitation, Myocardial-infarction, Depressive Symptoms, Emotional Distress, Disease, Questionnaire, Association, Diagnosis, Mortality, Illness, Events
Recommended Citation
Dunn, Susan L., Grace B. Olamijulo, Heather L. Fuglseth, Theresa P. Holden, Lien L. Swieringa, Michael J. Sit, Nicole P. Rieth, and Nathan L. Tintle. “The State–Trait Hopelessness Scale Development and Testing.” Western Journal of Nursing Research 36, no. 4 (April 1, 2014): 552–70. doi:10.1177/0193945913507634.
