Reliability and Validity of the State-Trait Hopelessness Scale in Patients With Heart Disease and Moderate to Severe Hopelessness

• Published in: The Journal of cardiovascular nursing Vol. 35; no. 2; pp. 126 - 130
• Main Authors: Dunn, Susan L., DeVon, Holli A., Buursma, Madison P., Boven, Emma, Tintle, Nathan L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Lippincott Williams & Wilkins 01-03-2020; Copyright Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved; Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Ovid Technologies
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Cardiovascular disease; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Heart Diseases - psychology; Heart failure; Hope; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Personality traits; Psychological Tests; Reliability; Reproducibility of Results
• ISSN: 0889-4655; 1550-5049
• DOI: 10.1097/JCN.0000000000000647

OBJECTIVEThe aim of this study was to evaluate the reliability and validity of the State-Trait Hopelessness Scale (STHS) in patients with heart disease who report moderate to severe state hopelessness.
METHODSReliability, concurrent validity, and convergent validity were evaluated for 20 patients.
RESULTSCronbachʼs α for the State and Trait subscales were .81 and .79, respectively. Strong correlations between the State Hopelessness Subscale and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (r = 0.77, P < .001), State Hope Scale (r = −0.75, P < .001), EQ-5D-5L (r = 0.59, P < .005), and PROMIS-29 domains of depression (P = .72, P < .001), fatigue (P = .61, P < .001), and social roles (P = .45, P = .047) were found. There were strong correlations between the Trait Hopelessness Subscale and Trait Hope Scale (r = −0.58, P < .005), State Hope Scale (r = −0.49, P = .03), and PROMIS-29 fatigue domain (r = 0.54, P = .015).
CONCLUSIONSFindings support the reliability and validity of the STHS for evaluation of hopelessness in patients with heart disease.