Assessment of hope in psychiatric and chemically dependent patients.

Hope is recognized as a healing force, but has not been studied in some clinical populations. In this study, the Miller Hope Scale was used to measure hope near admission and at discharge for 192 psychiatric and chemically dependent inpatients. Hope scores near admission were significantly lower than the established norms for the instrument. Psychiatric patients were significantly lower in hope than chemically dependent patients at both times. At discharge, both subject groups approached the norms for the instrument. This study adds to the construct validity of the Miller Hope Scale and supports its use in clinical populations.