Objective: Studies in positive psychology have shown that the concept of hope is significantly related to resilience, optimism, happiness, self-esteem, and general well-being in young people. However, few measurement tools are available to measure levels of hope in children. This study uses item response methodology to examine the psychometric properties of the Children’s Hope Scale (CHS). Method: Data were collected from 3,288 7th-grade students in several large school districts in an urban Ohio county. Statistical and graphical methods derived from item response theory were used to examine the relationship of items on the CHS to the underlying concept of hope. Results: Findings suggest that the CHS is an accurate measure of hope. Items in individual scales were substantively related to the hope construct. Further, item parameters produced reliable estimates of hope scores across a hope continuum. Conclusions: The CHS may be a useful measurement and clinical assessment tool for social workers and other professionals. Additional research is needed to examine the utility of the CHS for older age groups and to explore differences by gender, race, and socioeconomic status.

中文翻译：

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儿童希望量表的项目反应理论分析

目的：对积极心理学的研究表明，希望的概念与年轻人的韧性，乐观，幸福，自尊和总体幸福感密切相关。但是，很少有测量工具可用来测量儿童的希望水平。这项研究使用项目反应方法来检查儿童希望量表（CHS）的心理测量特性。方法：从俄亥俄州城市县几个大型学区的3288名7年级学生中收集数据。从项目反应理论衍生的统计和图形方法用于检查CHS上项目与基本希望概念之间的关系。结果：研究结果表明，CHS是对希望的准确衡量。各个尺度上的项目基本上与希望构造有关。进一步，项目参数对整个希望连续体产生了可靠的希望得分估计。结论：CHS可能是社会工作者和其他专业人员的有用的测量和临床评估工具。还需要进行其他研究，以检查CHS在老年人群中的作用，并探讨性别，种族和社会经济地位的差异。