The German Version of the Herth Hope Index (HHI-D): Development and Psychometric Properties.
BACKGROUND
The importance of hope is evident in clinical oncological care. Hope is associated with psychological and also physical functioning. However, there is still a dearth of empirical research on hope as a multidimensional concept. The Herth Hope Index is a reliable and valid instrument for the measurement of hope and is available in many languages. Until now no authorized German translation has been published and validated.


METHODS
After translation, the questionnaire was completed by 192 patients with different tumor entities in radiation therapy. Reliability, concurrent validity, and factor structure of the questionnaire were determined.


RESULTS
Correlations were high with depression and anxiety as well as optimism and pessimism. As expected, correlations with coping styles were moderate. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability were satisfactory. We could not replicate the original 3-factor model. Application of the scree plot criterion in an exploratory factor analysis resulted in a single-factor structure.


CONCLUSIONS
The Herth Hope Index - German Version (HHI-D) is a short, reliable, and valid instrument for the assessment of hope in patient populations. We recommend using only the HHI-D total score until further research gives more insights into possible factorial solutions and subscales.
Clinic for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University of Bonn, Germany.
Franziska
F
Geiser
Katharina
K
Zajackowski
Rupert
R
Conrad
Katrin
K
Imbierowicz
Ingo
I
Wegener
Kaye A
KA
Herth
Anne Sarah
AS
Urbach
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001007:Anxiety / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D065026:Hope; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D000067657:Pessimism / Q000523:psychology*; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000379:methods*; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014175:Translating; D055815:Young Adult