Hope in mental health and psychiatric nursing: a scoping review

In recent decades, efforts have been made to define and understand hope in health care, particularly in the prevention and treatment of mental illness. Given the contextual nature of hope, this article aimed to map the available scientific evidence on hope in mental health and psychiatric nursing.

The Joanna Briggs Institute methodology was used for scoping reviews. The following inclusion criteria were used: studies with adults (≥ 18 years) with a mental illness, family members/carers or nurses who addressed the concept of hope in the context of mental health and psychiatric nursing. The search process was carried out between March and December 2023, and the CINAHL database was searched via EBSCOhost, MEDLINE via PubMed and via EBSCOhost, PsycArticles and Psychology and Behavioural Sciences Collection. The articles that met the inclusion criteria were analysed in full, and the data were recorded in a document adapted from the JBI extraction tool. The data were searched, analysed, and synthesized by 5 independent reviewers.

This review included 43 articles. Several themes were identified, including the meaning of hope, hope assessment instruments, hope-promoting interventions, objects of hope for both caregivers and people with mental illness, inhibiting factors and consequences of hope.

Hope is fundamental in mental health and psychiatric nursing care. Hope has been mainly approached from the patient's perspective. Studies on hope of family carers and mental health nurses are still limited. Despite the recognition of the role of mental health nurses in maintaining and managing hope, additional evidence is needed on how to promote hope in specialized practice. These results open new perspectives for research and training for mental health professionals.