Hopelessness and terminal illness: the construct of hopelessness in patients with advanced AIDS.

OBJECTIVE

Understanding the construct of hopelessness in the context of a life-threatening or terminal illness is a complex and challenging undertaking. The objective of this study was to examine the construct of hopelessness in patients with advanced AIDS by examining the structure of the Beck Hopelessness Scale in this specific population.

METHODS

For the past three decades, the primary measure used to study hopelessness in a variety of populations has been the Beck Hopelessness Scale. Several factor analytic studies have been published using this scale, with studies of nonclinical samples typically describing a two-factor model (optimism and pessimism), whereas clinical samples have consistently generated a third factor (lack of motivation to make changes). We used confirmatory factor analysis to analyze two data sets in patients with AIDS.

RESULTS

Confirmatory factor analysis of the Beck Hopelessness Scale in two samples of patients with far advanced AIDS revealed a clear superiority for a three-factor model.

SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS

The Beck Hopelessness Scale has unique characteristics when applied to a terminally ill population. The implications of these results for studies of terminal illness are discussed.