• Jenny M Y Huen, Brian Y T Ip, Samuel M Y Ho, and Paul S F Yip.
• Hong Kong Jockey Club Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China.
• Plos One. 2015 Jan 1; 10 (6): e0130073.

ObjectivesThe present study investigated whether hope and hopelessness are better conceptualized as a single construct of bipolar spectrum or two distinct constructs and whether hope can moderate the relationship between hopelessness and suicidal ideation.MethodsHope, hopelessness, and suicidal ideation were measured in a community sample of 2106 participants through a population-based household survey.ResultsConfirmatory factor analyses showed that a measurement model with separate, correlated second-order factors of hope and hopelessness provided a good fit to the data and was significantly better than that of the model collapsing hope and hopelessness into a single second-order factor. Negative binomial regression showed that hope and hopelessness interacted such that the effect of hopelessness on suicidal ideation was lower in individuals with higher hope than individuals with lower hope.ConclusionsHope and hopelessness are two distinct but correlated constructs. Hope can act as a resilience factor that buffers the impact of hopelessness on suicidal ideation. Inducing hope in people may be a promising avenue for suicide prevention.

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