DEVELOPMENT OF A JAPANESE VERSION OF THE HERTH HOPE INDEX

EXAMINATION OF RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY OF THE SCALE FOR JAPANESE ELDERLY PERSONS

Abstract

The purposes of this study were to produce a Japanese version of Herth Hope Index (HHI) developed as a tool to assess hope and to evaluate its reliability and validity as a psychological measurement tool for Japanese elderly persons. HHI composed of 12 items were thus translated into Japanese and used to assess 87 elderly persons who visited a Welfare Center for the Aged. The internal consistency alpha coefficient was 0.86. Criterion-related construct validity was established by correlating the Japanese version of HHI to the revised PGC morale scale, r = 0.53 (P < 0.01). Factor analysis, however, did not give clear decomposition into 3 factors fitting to the conceptual model for scale development as in the case of the original HHI factor analysis. However the analysis allowed extraction of two factors, (1) sense of relatedness and emotions in the hoping process and (2) self-confidence positive readiness and expectancy to hope. This was considered to reflect the characteristics associated with aging of the subjects. The scale was found to be reliable and valid and to be applicable to surveys of elderly persons.