Herth Hope Index: A Psychometric Evaluation Study within a Sample of Greek Patients with Cancer

Maria Nikoloudi; Eleni Tsilika; Efi Parpa; Sotiria Kostopoulou; Anastasios Tentolouris; Constantin Psarros; Mantoudi Alexandra; Kyriaki Mystakidou

doi:10.25259/IJPC_364_20

Herth Hope Index: A Psychometric Evaluation Study within a Sample of Greek Patients with Cancer

Indian J Palliat Care. 2021 Jul-Sep;27(3):367-374. doi: 10.25259/IJPC_364_20. Epub 2021 Sep 29.

Authors

Maria Nikoloudi¹, Eleni Tsilika¹, Efi Parpa¹, Sotiria Kostopoulou¹, Anastasios Tentolouris², Constantin Psarros³, Mantoudi Alexandra⁴, Kyriaki Mystakidou¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Radiology, Pain Relief and Palliative Care Unit, Areteion Hospital, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Aigaleo, Greece.
² First Department of Propaedeutic Internal Medicine, Diabetes Center, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Laiko General Hospital, Aigaleo, Greece.
³ Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Eginition Hospital, Aigaleo, Greece.
⁴ Department of Nursing, University of West Attica, Aigaleo, Greece.

Abstract

Objectives: This study aims to develop the Greek version of the Herth Hope Index (HHI) and assess its psychometric properties to a palliative care patient sample, using a cross-sectional design.

Materials and methods: The HHI was translated into Greek (HHI-Gr) using the 'forward-backward' procedure. It was administered to 130 eligible cancer patients, while for the stability of patients' responses, 40 of these patients completed the HHI-Gr 3 days later. Along with the HHI-Gr, patients also completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and the Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS). The HHI-Gr internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's a), stability (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC]), factor structure (factor analysis) and convergent validity (correlation with the HADS and the BHS questionnaires) were examined using the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status.

Results: The HHI-Gr yielded a one-factor model and a Cronbach alpha (0.860) with excellent internal consistency reliability and stability ICC (>0.90). Satisfactory convergent validity was supported by the correlation analysis between the HHI-Gr and BHS (r = 0.718, P < 0.001). Overall test-retest reliability was satisfactory with a range between 0.77 and 0.96 (P < 0.001).

Conclusion: These results demonstrate that the HHI-Gr is an instrument with satisfactory psychometric properties and is a valid research tool for the measurement of the levels of hope among Greek oncology patients.

Keywords: Anxiety; Cancer; Depression; Hope; Palliative care.