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Hopelessness in adolescents.
1Psychology Program The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, 101 Vera King Farris Drive Galloway, NJ 08205-9441, USA.
Journal of Affective Disorders
|December 3, 2014
Summary
American adolescents report lower hopelessness than peers internationally, with scores remaining stable over three decades. This finding is consistent across studies using established hopelessness scales.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Adolescent Health
- Cross-cultural Studies
Background:
- Hopelessness scales by Beck and Kazdin are widely used in clinical and non-clinical research.
- Previous research has utilized these scales across diverse populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine differences in adolescent hopelessness scores based on age, sex, publication year, and nationality.
- To compare hopelessness levels in non-clinical adolescent samples.
Main Methods:
- A literature search was conducted using PsycINFO with the keyword "hopelessness".
- Seventy-eight studies reporting mean hopelessness scores (Beck Hopelessness Scale or Kazdin Hopelessness Scale for Children) were included.
- Studies focused on school-aged students, with data from American and international samples.
Main Results:
- American students exhibited significantly lower hopelessness scores compared to students from other nations.
- A trend indicated higher scores in boys than girls across 27 studies.
- No significant increase in hopelessness scores was observed among American students in recent years.
Conclusions:
- Adolescents in the United States appear to experience lower levels of hopelessness compared to their international counterparts.
- Hopelessness scores among American adolescents have remained relatively consistent over the past 30 years.
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