Does Hope Reverberate Between Generations?

Intergenerational transmission refers to the transmission of stories, traits, abilities, ideas, behaviors, and various outcomes from parents to their children. To date, there has been little research on the intergenerational transmission of positive behavior, traits, and actions. To determine whether hope may be transmitted from one generation to the next, a qualitative study was performed, using narrative inquiry and thematic analysis. Over 4 months, four mothers of children with mental illness were engaged in repeated conversations about stories of hope related to their past and how they envisioned hope in their children. Findings indicated that hope could be transmitted to the next generation, either explicitly (verbally) or implicitly (i.e., expressed through actions involving one's children). We conclude that also positive patterns may be transmitted both explicitly and implicitly from one generation to the next. Transmitting hope between generations played a significant role in the mothers' experiences of hope.

SDM Training Modules for Health and Social Care Professionals in Israel.

While the strategy of Shared Decision Making (SDM) originated in the medical field and was later adopted into the mental health arena, little attention has been paid to practice in the broader fields of the allied health and social care professions. These professions are grounded in the recognition of a need for practice that reflects the partnership and collaboration of the professional and the service user working together to further the health and well-being of the user. A pilot training module was developed to introduce and support students in their journey from exposure to the co-production ideology and the SDM strategy into clinical practice in the allied health and social care professions. The aim of the present article is to describe the students' experiences while learning about SDM and their use of this knowledge in their field practice in Israel. The students' experiences highlighted the complexity of integrating SDM into practice both at the individual student level as well as the macro environment. Moreover, it pointed to the need to further develop this co-production paradigm and the SDM strategy into the education of the allied health and social care professions.

Aspects of Shared Decision Making in a Cognitive-Educational Intervention for Family Members of Persons Coping With Severe Mental Illness.

Background: Partnerships and family inclusion are embedded in mental health policies. Shared Decision Making (SDM) is as an effective health communication model designed to facilitate service users and providers engagement in reaching jointly decisions concerning interventions. Keshet is a 15 bi-weekly academic course for family members of people with mental illnesses that enhances positive family cognitive communication skills. Purpose: To exhibit how SDM is inherently expressed in Keshet. Method: We conducted a secondary analysis of previous Keshet evaluation studies and course protocols that focused on revealing SDM use. Results: SDM was found to be a prominent feature in Keshet interventions in both the structure of the course as well as the process and procedures. Following participation in the program, making decisions jointly was found to be a prominent feature. Conclusions: Interventions such as Keshet that include an SDM approach can contribute to the integration of academic, professional and "lived experience" within a shared perspective, thus promoting an enhanced equality- based SDM model that benefits individuals as well as mental health systems.

Hope During COVID-19 Lockdown.

Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic has changed daily life in unexpected ways including strict lockdowns periods that may shape hope. Method This study compared hope levels among an online sample of 584 adults in late April 2020 during the COVID-19 lockdown (2020 survey) to 884 adult internet users who participated in the 2019 Hope Barometer survey which was performed six months prior to the COVID-19 pandemic (2019 survey). Both surveys used identical validated hope and depression measures. Results Despite high degrees of depression, hope levels slightly but significantly increased in the 2020 survey compared to the 2019 survey. Differences between the 2019 and 2020 surveys appeared across all demographic groups, with no differences related to age, sex, or education. Conclusions Despite the increased depression, the COVID-19 lockdown was associated with significantly higher hope levels.

Imbuing Occupations with Spiritual Significance Fosters Experiences of Hope.

In theories of occupational therapy, occupation serves as a conduit for creating meaning and well-being. A crucial component of occupational therapy is developing and maintaining hope of clients during periods of major difficulty. Understanding the relationship between hope and occupation can prove helpful in stressful situations, such as caring for children with chronic illnesses. The aim of the present study was to identify occupations that foster experiences of hope among mothers of adult children with mental illness. A qualitative approach, informed by a constructivist framework and thematic analysis, was used to interpret and explicate relevant occupation-related themes that fostered hope in four mothers. The mother-participants reported engaging in various occupations, yet only occupations that were imbued with spiritual significance fostered experiences of hope. This study brings to the forefront of occupational therapy discourse the issue of spiritual connectedness as a potential link between occupations and hope.

An Asthma Specialist's Consult Letter: What Do Parents Think About Receiving a Copy?

OBJECTIVE: Written summaries about visits with general practitioners' have influenced increased patient knowledge, satisfaction, recollection, and compliance, and strengthened the doctor-patient relationship. All previous studies about this communication pre-dated the electronic medical record (EMR) era, and none examined views from parents of children with asthma. We explored parents' perceptions about receiving a hard copy summary Letter immediately following the visit, with the pediatric asthma specialist about findings and the care plan for their child. METHODS: A Parent Advisory Council helped inform this pilot study, an observational cross-sectional electronic survey. Each Letter included a comprehensive summary of the child's visit with the specialist. RESULTS: Previous findings from patients about the benefits of receiving this Letter were strongly supported by data from 51 participants. Interestingly, more than 54% of respondents preferred receiving a hard copy Letter over an electronic copy, and 98% wanted other clinicians to adopt this practice. CONCLUSION: Parents of children with asthma value and want timely written information of this nature from other clinicians. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: These results can influence further asthma research to promote a change in the perceptions of clinicians, parents, and patients about timely access to health information in the EMR era.

Psychometric properties of Hope Scales: A systematic review.

INTRODUCTION: Hope is recognised as an important factor in health, illness, and well-being. Many scales to measure hope have been developed and used in various disciplines, yet, their psychometric properties have not been systematically reviewed. AIM: To systematically review the psychometric properties of hope scales. DESIGN: Systematic review. METHODS: Four electronic databases were searched followed by a hand search. The data were extracted and qualitatively evaluated by the COSMIN checklist, an instrument designed as a quality rating tool for systematic reviews of psychometric properties. RESULTS: From 1271 retrieved abstracts, 68 papers met the inclusion criteria. The most used scale was the Snyder Hope Scale (46%) followed by the Herth Hope Index (16%). All other scales (n = 16) were evaluated in less than 10% of the papers. Structural validity (91%), internal consistency (88%), and hypothesis testing (74%) were the most reported properties. Reliability (34%), cross-cultural validity (34%), content validity (25%), and criterion validity (15%) were reported in less than 50% of the papers. Only two (3%) studies reported responsiveness, and none reported measurement error. Less than 35% of the validation studies achieved excellent or good quality for any of the measurement properties. CONCLUSION: The results show that no robust and valid scale exists for measuring hope. It highlights important gaps in psychometric properties of hope scales. Despite more than 40 years of research and development of hope scales, the currently available scales do not meet the standards of psychometric evaluation. This calls for efforts to improve the quality of hope scales.