Abstract

Hope Theory defines hope as a cognitive-motivational process of seeking and obtaining goals through agency thinking and pathway building, with substantive connection to many desirable outcomes. While hope is theorized to begin developing early in life, this assumption has never been empirically investigated. This is due to limitations in established hope measurement. There is an additional gap in the research surrounding the role of parents in the development of hope. In this study, I address each of these gaps by utilizing a novel measure of hope in early childhood and running a multiple linear regression model to investigate potential connections between parental factors and child hope. In this sample of 227 5-year-old children (Mage = 65.68 months, SD = 3.21) and their primary caregivers/parents, significant positive relations appeared between child hope and parent-child hope communication, with significant negative relations appearing for Black children and girls. Surprisingly, parental warmth and support, secure attachment style, and parent levels of hope were not significantly related to child hope. These findings indicate the importance of parent-child conversations about ways to obtain future goals and cope with challenges along the way, as well as which children may be at risk of having low levels of hope. Parents and researchers can apply the results of this study to further understand how to increase hope early in life, potentially leading to positive outcomes as children continue to develop.

Degree

College and Department

Family, Home, and Social Sciences; Family Life

Rights

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