A psychometric comparison of four measures of hope and optimism

This study was designed to compare and contrast the psychometric properties of four scales developed to measure hope and optimism, namely, the Revised Generalized Expectancy for Success Scale, the Life Orientation Test (LOT), the Hope Scale (HS), and the Hunter Opinions, and Personal Expectations Scale. The definitions on which the measures are based are compared along with their reported reliability and construct validity. Three hundred and forty-seven undergraduate students completed the scales along with measures of trait negative affect (TNA) and trait positive affect (TPA), task- and emotion-oriented coping and perceived stress. All scale had adequate internal consistency and there was strong evidence of convergent validity. Regarding factor structure replicability the LOT was marginally superior. The Possibility of the scales' redundancy because of contamination by TNA or TPA depended on the criterion construct. It is argued that the LOT and HS are the scales of choice when assessing hope and/or optimism.