Development and preliminary testing of the Schizophrenia Hope Scale, a brief scale to measure hope in people with schizophrenia

BackgroundHope has received attention as a central component of recovery from mental illness; however, most instruments measuring hope were developed outside the mental health field. To measure the effects of mental health programs on hope in people with schizophrenia, a specialized scale is needed.ObjectiveThis study examined the psychometric properties of the newly developed 9-item Schizophrenia Hope Scale (SHS-9) designed to measure hope in individuals with schizophrenia.DesignA descriptive survey design.SettingParticipants were recruited from three psychiatric hospitals and two community mental health centers in South Korea.ParticipantsA total of 347 individuals over age 18 with a DSM-IV diagnosis of schizophrenia, schizoaffective, or schizophrenia spectrum disorders (competent to provide written informed consent) participated in this study; 149 (94 men, 55 women) completed a preliminary scale consisting of 40 revised items, and 198 (110 men, 88 women) completed the second scale of 17 items.MethodsScale items were first selected from extensive literature reviews and a qualitative study on hope in people with schizophrenia; the validity and reliability of a preliminary scale was then evaluated by an expert panel and exploratory factor analysis. The remaining 9 items forming the Schizophrenia Hope Scale (SHS-9) were evaluated through confirmatory factor analysis.ResultsThe SHS-9 demonstrates promising psychometric integrity. The internal consistency alpha coefficient was 0.92 with a score range of 0–18 and a mean total score of 12.06 (SD = 4.96), with higher scores indicating higher levels of hope. Convergent validity was established by correlating the SHS-9 to the State-Trait Hope Inventory, r = 0.61 (p < 0.01). Divergent validity with the Beck Hopelessness Scale was also established, r = −0.55 (p < 0.01). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis resulted in a 1-factor solution, with the essential meaning of hope accounting for 61.77% of the total item variance.ConclusionAs hope has been shown to facilitate recovery from mental illness, the accurate assessment of hope provided by the short, easy-to-use Schizophrenia Hope Scale (SHS-9) may aid clinicians in improving the quality of life of individuals with schizophrenia.