Validation of the Perceived hope scale in Arabic-speaking adults living in Gaza in the midst of war, destruction and death

Abstract Background Despite its obvious relevance for clinical practice and research, it is surprising that presently no hope measure is available for use among Arabic-speaking populations, especially the most vulnerable ones who have been going through major humanitarian crises. This paper aimed to...

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Main Authors: Feten Fekih-Romdhane, Kamel Jebreen, Tasnim Swaitti, Mohammed Jebreen, Eqbal Radwan, Wafa Kammoun-Rebai, Mahmoud A. Abu Samra, Souheil Hallit
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2025-01-01
Series:Archives of Public Health
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s13690-024-01494-z
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author Feten Fekih-Romdhane
Kamel Jebreen
Tasnim Swaitti
Mohammed Jebreen
Eqbal Radwan
Wafa Kammoun-Rebai
Mahmoud A. Abu Samra
Souheil Hallit
author_facet Feten Fekih-Romdhane
Kamel Jebreen
Tasnim Swaitti
Mohammed Jebreen
Eqbal Radwan
Wafa Kammoun-Rebai
Mahmoud A. Abu Samra
Souheil Hallit
author_sort Feten Fekih-Romdhane
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Background Despite its obvious relevance for clinical practice and research, it is surprising that presently no hope measure is available for use among Arabic-speaking populations, especially the most vulnerable ones who have been going through major humanitarian crises. This paper aimed to provide novel insights into psychometric information on the psychometric properties of an Arabic translation of the Perceived Hope Scale (PHS) in Palestinians living in Gaza who have endured several months of suffering since the war began in October 2023. Method This study had a cross-sectional design and applied a quantitative research approach. It was carried-out over a one-month period (September 2024) using an anonymous self-report questionnaire that was shared through social networks and the snowball sampling technique. A total of 534 Arabic-speaking Palestinian adults aged over 18 years and currently living in Gaza took part in the study. We conducted a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) via the SPSS AMOS v.29 software, using the maximum likelihood method to obtain parameters estimates. Results The fit indices of the one-factor solution reached the standards of good model fit, with excellent internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.90). Invariance was established in our sample at the configural, metric and scalar levels in terms of gender groups. PHS scores significantly and positively correlated with religiosity, resilience and post-traumatic growth. In addition, PHS inversely correlated with anxiety and depression. Conclusion Overall, our results add to the measurement assessment of the PHS, lending further support to its value as a sound measure to assess perceived hope in a new context and cultural background of Arabic-speaking adults and fragile survivors of several decades of war that dramatically escalated over the past months.
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spelling doaj-art-e731cee7fa2c4deaa253f4131ed034252025-08-20T02:40:35ZengBMCArchives of Public Health2049-32582025-01-0183111010.1186/s13690-024-01494-zValidation of the Perceived hope scale in Arabic-speaking adults living in Gaza in the midst of war, destruction and deathFeten Fekih-Romdhane0Kamel Jebreen1Tasnim Swaitti2Mohammed Jebreen3Eqbal Radwan4Wafa Kammoun-Rebai5Mahmoud A. Abu Samra6Souheil Hallit7The Tunisian Center of Early Intervention in Psychosis, Department of Psychiatry “Ibn Omrane”, Razi hospitalDepartment of Mathematics, Palestine Technical University – KadoorieSmart University College for Modern EducationDepartment of Business Administration, Faculty of Commerce, Mansoura UniversityDepartment of Biology, Faculty of Science, Islamic University of GazaMedical Research Direction, Ministry of HealthFaculty of Educational Sciences, Al-Quds UniversitySchool of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Holy Spirit University of KaslikAbstract Background Despite its obvious relevance for clinical practice and research, it is surprising that presently no hope measure is available for use among Arabic-speaking populations, especially the most vulnerable ones who have been going through major humanitarian crises. This paper aimed to provide novel insights into psychometric information on the psychometric properties of an Arabic translation of the Perceived Hope Scale (PHS) in Palestinians living in Gaza who have endured several months of suffering since the war began in October 2023. Method This study had a cross-sectional design and applied a quantitative research approach. It was carried-out over a one-month period (September 2024) using an anonymous self-report questionnaire that was shared through social networks and the snowball sampling technique. A total of 534 Arabic-speaking Palestinian adults aged over 18 years and currently living in Gaza took part in the study. We conducted a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) via the SPSS AMOS v.29 software, using the maximum likelihood method to obtain parameters estimates. Results The fit indices of the one-factor solution reached the standards of good model fit, with excellent internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.90). Invariance was established in our sample at the configural, metric and scalar levels in terms of gender groups. PHS scores significantly and positively correlated with religiosity, resilience and post-traumatic growth. In addition, PHS inversely correlated with anxiety and depression. Conclusion Overall, our results add to the measurement assessment of the PHS, lending further support to its value as a sound measure to assess perceived hope in a new context and cultural background of Arabic-speaking adults and fragile survivors of several decades of war that dramatically escalated over the past months.https://doi.org/10.1186/s13690-024-01494-zHopePerceived Hope ScalePsychometric propertiesArabic
spellingShingle Feten Fekih-Romdhane
Kamel Jebreen
Tasnim Swaitti
Mohammed Jebreen
Eqbal Radwan
Wafa Kammoun-Rebai
Mahmoud A. Abu Samra
Souheil Hallit
Validation of the Perceived hope scale in Arabic-speaking adults living in Gaza in the midst of war, destruction and death
Archives of Public Health
Hope
Perceived Hope Scale
Psychometric properties
Arabic
title Validation of the Perceived hope scale in Arabic-speaking adults living in Gaza in the midst of war, destruction and death
title_full Validation of the Perceived hope scale in Arabic-speaking adults living in Gaza in the midst of war, destruction and death
title_fullStr Validation of the Perceived hope scale in Arabic-speaking adults living in Gaza in the midst of war, destruction and death
title_full_unstemmed Validation of the Perceived hope scale in Arabic-speaking adults living in Gaza in the midst of war, destruction and death
title_short Validation of the Perceived hope scale in Arabic-speaking adults living in Gaza in the midst of war, destruction and death
title_sort validation of the perceived hope scale in arabic speaking adults living in gaza in the midst of war destruction and death
topic Hope
Perceived Hope Scale
Psychometric properties
Arabic
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s13690-024-01494-z
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