Hope Test – Child/Teen

Abstract

The Hope Test- Child/Teen, alternatively referred to as the State Hope Scale– Child/Teen, is a specialized psychological scale developed by Scioli, Ricci, Nyugen, and Scioli in 2011. This instrument is designed to measure the construct of hope in younger populations, spanning children and adolescents. It operationalizes hope across four critical psychological dimensions: mastery, attachment, survival, and spirituality. The scale utilizes a forced-choice format, requiring respondents to select the statement that most accurately reflects their current state of mind or experience, thereby providing a comprehensive assessment of their perceived resources and future orientation.

Keywords

Hope, child psychology, adolescent measurement, mastery, attachment, survival, spirituality, psychological assessment, Scioli, well-being.

Authors

Scioli, A., Ricci, M., Nyugen, T., Scioli, E. R.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Hope Test- Child/Teen is to provide a standardized, reliable, and developmentally appropriate tool for assessing the depth and breadth of hope in youth. By targeting children and adolescents, the scale aims to capture specific developmental manifestations of hope that are often overlooked by adult-focused instruments. This includes measuring resilience, perceived support from caregivers and peers, feelings of safety, and the role of spiritual or existential belief systems in coping.

The instrument is valuable for researchers studying positive psychology, clinical practitioners assessing protective factors in youth facing adversity, and educational settings interested in promoting mental health and goal orientation among students.

Construct

The Hope Test- Child/Teen measures a multi-dimensional conceptualization of the construct of hope, departing from purely cognitive models. Scioli and colleagues propose that hope is fundamentally rooted in four innate dimensions necessary for human thriving:

• Mastery: Reflects the individual’s belief in their ability to achieve goals, solve problems, and influence their environment effectively (agency and pathways).
• Attachment: Measures the perceived availability and reliability of supportive social relationships, particularly with family and friends.
• Survival: Relates to feelings of safety, protection, and basic security in the world, including the ability to cope with fear and crises.
• Spirituality: Gauges the extent to which the individual relies on spiritual or religious beliefs (e.g., trust in God, prayer) as a source of comfort, guidance, and strength.

Validity

The development of the Hope Test- Child/Teen was guided by theoretical grounding, ensuring that the items accurately reflect the four proposed dimensions of hope. Studies involving the scale typically provide evidence of content and construct validity, demonstrating that the instrument measures what it purports to measure. Although specific empirical indices like convergent and discriminant validity coefficients are detailed in the original 2011 publication, the scale’s continued use in academic research confirms its utility in distinguishing high-hope youth from those struggling with pessimism or despair.

Reliability

The reliability of the Hope Test- Child/Teen generally demonstrates strong internal consistency, confirming that the 40 items are cohesive measures of the underlying hope construct. Internal consistency is typically assessed using measures such as Cronbach’s alpha, which should be adequate for a scale used in research settings. The structure ensures that scores are stable and repeatable, minimizing measurement error when assessing hope levels across different administrations or populations of children and adolescents.

Factor Analysis

The underlying structure of the scale is empirically supported by factor analysis. This statistical technique is employed to confirm that the 40 items load onto the four distinct, yet related, factors: mastery, attachment, survival, and spirituality. Confirmation of this factor structure is crucial, as it validates the theoretical model proposed by Scioli and colleagues, allowing researchers to analyze hope not just as a single score but as a profile across these four domains.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report psychological scale.

Format: 40 forced-choice items (triplets). Respondents select the sentence that is most true for them out of three options, typically representing low, moderate, and high levels of the measured construct.

Language Available: English (based on the original publication).

Population Group: Children and Adolescents.

Age Group: Generally school-aged children and teenagers.

Population Details: Applicable to both clinical and non-clinical populations; useful for assessing protective factors and psychological resilience, particularly concerning social support and spiritual beliefs.

Test Methodology: The respondent reads a group of three sentences and selects the one that best describes their experience or belief. The scoring is then derived from the pattern of responses across the four subscales: mastery, attachment, survival, and spirituality.

Keywords

Hope measurement, Child psychology, Adolescent assessment, Affective scales, Spiritual well-being, Psychological resilience, State hope, Forced-choice inventory.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: N/A

Affiliation Email addresses: [email protected]

Correspondence Address: N/A (Contact Thomas Scioli via email for correspondence details.)

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The scale was developed and published in 2011 (Scioli et al.). The instrument is available for review online at the address provided below. For specific information regarding permissions for large-scale use, current fees, or commercial application, researchers should contact the corresponding author, Thomas Scioli. The original instrument can be accessed online at: http://www.gainhope.com/hope/childtest_form.cfm.

Reference’s

• Scioli, A., Ricci, M., Nyugen, T., & Scioli, E. R. (2011). Hope: Its nature and measurement. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, 3(2), 78-97.
• Goetsch, Brian Lee. (2015). Effects of an Electronically Guided Prayer Intervention. Doctor of Psychology (PsyD). Paper 162. http://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/psyd/162.

Items of the Hope Test- Child/Teen

In each group of three sentences‚ please se‎lect the sentence that is most true for you.

Practice Question

• I always eat popcorn when I watch a movie.
• I sometimes eat popcorn when I watch a movie.
• I never eat popcorn when I watch a movie.

1.

• When I grow up I’m afraid that I might never get job.
• When I grow up I know that I will have a good job.
• When I grow up I know that I will have a great job.

2.

• Nobody ever loves me.
• I know someone who sometimes loves me.
• I know someone who always loves me.

3.

• I never feel safe.
• I sometimes feel safe.
• I always feel safe.

4.

• God is never close to me.
• God is sometimes close to me.
• God is always close to me.

5.

• If I get in trouble‚ my family will never help me.
• If I get in trouble‚ my family will sometimes help me.
• If I get in trouble my family will always help me.

6.

• My family never helps me to get what I want.
• My family sometimes helps me get what I want.
• My family always helps me get what I want.

7.

• What my family says is never true.
• What my family says is sometimes true.
• What my family says is always true.

8.

• When I feel scared‚ I never pray to God.
• When I feel scared‚ I sometimes feel better if I pray to God.
• When I feel scared‚ I always feel better if I pray to God.

9.

• I never get what I want.
• I sometimes get what I want.
• I always get what I want.

10.

• My friends never care about me.
• My friends sometimes care about me.
• My friends always care about me.

11.

• If I get in trouble‚ I can never make things better.
• If I get in trouble‚ I can sometimes make thing better.
• If I get in trouble‚ I can always make things better.

12.

• I never pray to God to help me get what I want.
• I sometimes pray to God to help me get what I want.
• I always pray to God to help me get what I want.

13.

• My friends never keep my secrets.
• My friends sometimes keep my secrets.
• My friends always keep my secrets.

14.

• My family never makes me feel safe.
• My family sometimes makes me feel safe.
• My family always makes me feel safe.

15.

• If something is too hard‚ my friends will never help me.
• If something is too hard‚ my friends sometimes help me.
• If something is too hard‚ my friends will always help me.

16.

• God is far away and never comes to visit people.
• God visits people once in a while.
• God visits people all the time.

17.

• I am always too scared.
• I am sometimes too scared.
• I am never too scared.

18.

• God can never help me to do things better‚ even if I pray.
• I can sometimes do things better if I pray to God.
• God can always help me to do things better if I pray.

19.

• If I get lost‚ I may never find my way home.
• If I get lost‚ I can sometimes find my way home.
• If I get lost‚ I can always find a way to get home.

20.

• Praying to God will never help me to feel safe.
• Praying to God sometimes helps me to feel safe.
• Praying to God always helps me to feel safe.

21.

• Even if I work hard‚ there are some things I can never do.
• If I work hard I can do almost anything.
• If I work hard‚ I can do anything.

22.

• I have no friends.
• I have some friends.
• I have many friends.

23.

• When I start to cry‚ I can never stop myself.
• When I start to cry‚ I can sometimes stop myself.
• When I start to cry‚ I can always stop myself.

24.

• Even If I pray hard‚ God will never listen to me.
• If I pray hard‚ God will sometimes listen to me.
• If I pray hard‚ God will always listen to me.

25.

• I can never count on adults to protect me.
• I can sometimes count on adults to protect me.
• I can always count on adults to protect me.

26.

• I can never find someone to help me finish my work.
• I can sometimes find someone to help me finish my work.
• I can always find someone to help me finish my work.

27.

• Adults are never honest.
• Adults are sometimes honest.
• Adults are always honest.

28.

• God never helps me feel better when I am sad.
• God sometimes helps me feel better when I am sad.
• God always helps me to feel better when I am sad.

29.

• I am never as smart as most of my friends.
• I am sometimes as smart as most of my friends.
• I am always as smart as my most of friends.

30.

• My family never loves me.
• My family sometimes loves me.
• My family always loves me.

31.

• If a game is really hard‚ I may never find a way to win.
• If a game is really hard‚ I can sometimes find a way to win.
• If a game is really hard‚ I can always find a way to win.

32.

• I can do my best in school without God’s help.
• God sometimes helps me to do my best in school.
• God always helps me to do my best in school.

33.

• I trust nobody.
• I trust some people.
• I trust most people.

34.

• If I got hurt‚ I would have nobody to help me.
• If I got hurt‚ I would have some friends that would help me.
• If I got hurt‚ I would have many friends that would help me.

35.

• I can never find someone to help me with my schoolwork.
• I can sometimes find someone to help me with my schoolwork.
• I can always find anyone to help me with my schoolwork.

36.

• I can never be close to God‚ no matter where I go.
• I can sometimes be close to God at special places like a church or temple.
• I can always be close to God at special places like a church or temple.

37.

• When I’m sad‚ I can never make myself happy.
• When I’m sad‚ I can sometimes make myself happy.
• When I’m sad‚ I can always make myself happy.

38.

• Even if I pray‚ God can never help me to get stronger.
• If I pray‚ God can sometimes help me to get stronger.
• If I pray‚ God can always help me to get stronger.

39.

• If I do bad in school‚ I can never find a way to make it better.
• If I do bad in school‚ I can sometimes find a way to make it better.
• If I do bad in school‚ I can always find a way to make it better.

40.

• If I get really sick‚ God can never help me.
• If I get really sick‚ God can sometimes help me.
• If I get really sick‚ God can always help me.