Abstract
Hope is an important factor influencing the quality and quantity of life in patients with chronic diseases. We aimed to assess the association between hope and quality of life, physical function, pain, social support, and religiosity among nursing home residents. Residents in four homes for the aged in Jerusalem were included in the study. IRB approval and informed consent were obtained. Level of hope was assessed by the Herth Hope Index (score range 12–48); quality of life by the WHO Quality of Life-BREF instrument (physical health, psychological, social relationships, and environment domains); physical function by the Barthel Index; pain by the Short Form McGill Pain Questionnaire; and social support by the Social Support Questionnaire for Transactions (SSQT) and Social Support Questionnaire for Satisfaction (SSQS). Residents defined their religiosity as secular, traditional, or religious. There were 100 participants (63 females, 37 males; mean age 80.9 years); 25 secular, 37 traditional, and 38 religious. The mean Herth Hope Index score was 33 ± 4. Level of hope was correlated with the physical (r=0.479, p<0.001), psychological (r=0.759, p<0.001), social (r=0.567, p<0.001), and environment (r=0.532, p<0.001) domains of quality of life. Hope correlated positively with level of physical function (r=0.205, p=0.04), inversely with pain intensity (r=-0.215, p=0.032), positively with social support (p<0.001) and positively with level of religiosity (r=0.266, p=0.008). In this population, higher quality of life and physical function, lower pain intensity, better social support, and greater religiosity were associated with higher levels of hope, emphasizing the importance of interventions to foster hope.