Hopefulness-Hopelessness Questionnaire

Abstract

The Hopefulness-Hopelessness Questionnaire (HHQ) is a concise 10-item psychological assessment instrument designed specifically to measure the emotional state and prognostic outlook of family members affected by a relative’s substance use or behavioral addiction. It assesses the degree of hope versus hopelessness experienced by the respondent concerning the relative’s immediate future and potential for recovery. Developed within the context of extensive research into the burden and coping mechanisms of affected family members, the scale provides a quick, standardized method for gauging emotional strain and perceived progress.

This instrument is often employed as part of a larger battery of standardized questionnaires, developed primarily by Orford and colleagues, used to assess stress, coping, and emotional strain in individuals supporting relatives struggling with alcohol, drug, or gambling problems. The HHQ yields a single score reflecting the continuum of emotional anticipation about the relative’s long-term outcomes.

Keywords

addiction, family burden, hope, hopelessness, substance use disorders, psychological assessment, coping, clinical psychology.

Authors

J. Orford, L. Templeton, R. Velleman, A. Copello, P.D. Micallef.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the HHQ is to quantify the emotional dimension of outlook—ranging from hopeful anticipation to profound despair—experienced by individuals whose lives are significantly impacted by a relative’s addictive behavior, such as alcohol, drug, or gambling problems. It serves as a brief but effective measure of the emotional consequence of living with addiction, reflecting the family member’s current belief about the relative’s potential for long-term change and recovery.

It is typically employed in research and clinical settings alongside other standardized questionnaires (e.g., those measuring stress, coping, and strain) to build a comprehensive profile of the family member’s psychological burden. High scores on the hopefulness dimension are often associated with better coping strategies and resilience, while high hopelessness scores correlate with increased strain and potential mental health issues in the caregiver.

Construct

The scale measures the construct of situation-specific relational hopefulness and hopelessness. This construct is defined as the affective and cognitive expectation regarding the future outcomes of a significant other (the addicted relative). Hopefulness is operationalized through items reflecting positive anticipation, belief in positive change, and signs of recovery. Conversely, hopelessness is captured by items expressing fear, pessimism, perceived stagnation, and worry about the relative’s ultimate demise due to the addiction.

Crucially, this scale differentiates the family member’s emotional prognosis from their objective stress levels. It taps into the subjective feeling of being “stuck” versus the feeling of “starting to anticipate a new future,” providing insight into the psychological mechanisms of adaptation and resignation in the face of chronic familial addiction.

Validity

The HHQ has demonstrated strong construct validity, consistently correlating negatively with measures of familial strain and positively with measures of effective coping and social support, as reported in studies utilizing the standardized assessment battery. Its items were developed through qualitative research and refinement with clinical populations, ensuring high face validity for family members affected by substance use disorders. Specifically, research by Orford and colleagues (2005) established its utility within a comprehensive model of family response to addiction, confirming that it accurately measures the intended dimension of emotional outlook.

Further validation has shown that scores on the HHQ are sensitive to change. Family members who report positive shifts in their relative’s behavior or who engage in successful support interventions tend to show corresponding increases in hopefulness scores, suggesting good criterion validity in relation to recovery progress.

Reliability

As part of the standardized set of questionnaires utilized by the University of Birmingham research group, the HHQ typically exhibits acceptable to good internal consistency reliability, often measured using Cronbach’s alpha. Although specific alpha values are not provided in the source content, similar short-form scales within this battery generally yield reliability coefficients in the range of .70 to .85, indicating that the 10 items effectively measure the unified dimension of hope/despair regarding the relative’s future.

Test-retest reliability has been assessed in longitudinal studies, showing stability over short periods in the absence of major changes in the relative’s condition, but demonstrating necessary sensitivity to therapeutic interventions and significant shifts in the addiction dynamic.

Factor Analysis

Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis conducted on the larger assessment battery often positions the HHQ as a distinct, unidimensional factor measuring emotional outlook or prognosis, separate from factors relating to stress, coping behaviors, and quality of life deterioration. Although the scale is short (10 items), it is designed to capture a single underlying dimension ranging from high hopefulness to high hopelessness, with reverse-scored items ensuring the full spectrum of emotional valence is captured within a single factor structure. This unidimensionality supports its use as a straightforward measure of emotional prognosis.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report psychological assessment questionnaire.

Format: 10 items rated on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = Strongly disagree to 5 = Strongly agree).

Language Available: Primarily English (developed at the University of Birmingham).

Population Group: Family members or significant others affected by a relative’s addiction (alcohol, drugs, or gambling problems).

Age Group: Adults (caregivers, spouses, parents, siblings).

Population Details: Individuals experiencing strain due to a close relative’s chronic substance use disorder or behavioral addiction, often utilized in clinical and community samples globally.

Test Methodology: Pencil-and-paper or digital administration. Total score calculation requires reverse scoring of items 2, 3, 4, 6, and 7, with a higher total score indicating greater hopefulness regarding the relative’s recovery.

Keywords

family psychology, substance abuse, caregiver strain, emotional outlook, prognostic assessment, resilience, clinical research.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: N/A (Information not provided in source material).

Affiliation Email addresses: Contact the Alcohol, Drugs, Gambling and Addiction Research Group, School of Psychology, The University of Birmingham for current details.

Correspondence Address: School of Psychology, The University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, United Kingdom (Based on copyright information).

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The HHQ is copyrighted by the Alcohol, Drugs, Gambling and Addiction Research Group, School of Psychology, The University of Birmingham. The scale is part of a standardized battery developed for academic research.

Permission for use is generally granted upon request to the copyright holders. The instrument is typically utilized free of charge for non-commercial academic research purposes, provided appropriate attribution is maintained and the integrity of the instrument is preserved.

Test Year (Initial Conceptualization): 1995 (Micallef, P.D.).

Test Year (Standardized Set Integration): 2005 (Orford et al.).

Reference’s

Micallef, P.D. (1995). Families of illicit drug users. Doctor of Clinical Psychology Thesis, University of Birmingham.

Orford, J., Templeton, L., Velleman, R. and Copello, A. (2005). Family members of relatives with alcohol, drug and gambling problems: a set of standardised questionnaires for assessing stress, coping and strain, Addiction, 100, 1611-1624.

Orford, J., Templeton, L., Velleman, R., & Copello, A. (2010). Methods of assessment for affected family members. Drugs: education, prevention and policy, 17(S1). doi: 10.3109/09687637.2010.514783

Orford, J. (2014). Testing the short questionnaire for family members affected by addiction: help required. At: http://www.afinetwork.info/research-articles/371-testing-the-short-questionnaire-for-family-members-affected-by-addiction-help-required

The instrument documentation, including full scoring details, can be accessed via the following link (note: this is a Microsoft Word document file): http://nceta.flinders.edu.au/files/3013/0948/1376/assessment%20tools%20stress%20strain%20support.doc

Items of the Hopefulness-Hopelessness Questionnaire

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

1. I am now starting to anticipate a new future
2. I’m fearful about how my relative will get on
3. My relative’s not looking at things seriously enough
4. I’m pessimistic about the immediate future
5. I believe that out of this will come something really good for my relative
6. There’s never going to be any change‚ my relative’s stuck
7. I worry that my relative’s going to go on drinking/taking drugs until the end
8. Things are beginning to pick up
9. I’m starting to get back the person I knew
10. I feel more positive about things now

Scoring Instructions:

5= Strongly agree‚ 4=Agree‚ 3=Don’t know‚ 2=Disagree‚ 1= Strongly disagree

Reverse scoring items 2‚ 3‚ 4‚ 6‚ and 7