Hope in psychiatry: a review of the literature.
OBJECTIVE
Hope has long been considered an important therapeutic factor in medicine, nursing and mental health and recently received attention as a central component of recovery. However, conceptual clarity, applicability and the predictive value of hope remain unclear. This review aims to define hope, review current approaches to assessment, and outline research evidence linking hope with effectiveness.


METHODS
We conducted a comprehensive review of publications on the conceptualisation and measurement of hope, and on its use as a predictive variable specifically in mental health patients.


RESULTS
Forty-nine definitions of hope were identified, which were grouped into seven emergent dimensions. Thirty-two measurement tools were identified, although few have been used in research involving mental health patients. Eleven studies investigated hope as a predictive variable for differing outcomes, with inconclusive results.


CONCLUSIONS
Many conceptual frameworks for hope have been proposed, but empirical evidence on its predictive power in mental health is lacking.
Department of Psychiatry, Medical University Vienna, Vienna, Austria. beate.schrank@gmail.com
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B
Schrank
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Stanghellini
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M
Slade
D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D006040:Goals; D006801:Humans; D007206:Individuality; D033182:Intention; D007389:Internal-External Control; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D008605:Mental Health Services; D009042:Motivation; D010555:Personality Inventory; D011570:Psychiatry; D011613:Psychotherapy / Q000379:methods; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D011936:Reality Testing