Hope in newly diagnosed patients with cancer

Abstract

In this study, 131 Norwegian patients with recently diagnosed cancer completed the Nowotny Hope Scale (NHS). The NHS is composed of six subscales, and both global and subscale scores were assessed. Most of the patients were found to be hopeful or moderately hopeful. The variable with the single most positive contribution to hope was whether the patient lived alone. Younger people, in particular, experienced less hope when living alone. Gender, the time elapsed since diagnosis, and treatments had no observable effect on the global hope score. However, age, education level, and type of cancer was associated with particular domains of hope.