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Factor structure of the hope-action-inventory in a problematic substance use sample

University of British Columbia

Alcohol and other substance use disorders are a significant health and social issue in North America (World Health Organization [WHO], 2018). Previous research has found that individuals working to overcome an addiction often report feeling hopeless about their ability to secure employment or return to work in the future (Bauld et al., 2013). Hopefulness and a sense of human agency have been found to be important predictors of positive outcomes, including vocational ones, in a variety of domains for individuals with substance use disorders. Research findings suggest that the presence of hopefulness and being engaged in a meaningful activity, such as a job, are important factors for achieving positive outcomes for individuals with a significant problem with substance use (Ferrari et al., 2012). As such, it is essential to validly and reliably measure career competencies, based on hope and human agency, in clinical settings to provide direction for practitioners on how to effectively support this population. This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the Hope-Action-Inventory (HAI; Yoon, 2017) with a sample of 751 individuals who had ever had a problem with alcohol and other drugs. The HAI is based on Hope-Action Theory (Niles et al., 2019) and was developed to measure an individual’s level of Hope-Centered Career Competencies (i.e., Hope, Self-Reflection, Self-Clarity, Visioning, Goal Setting and Planning, Implementing, and Adapting). This study assessed the reliability of the HAI as well as the scale’s factor structure to explore whether the HAI can be justifiably used to assess career competencies in a problematic substance use population. The HAI was found to have adequate reliability with this previously uninvestigated clinical sample. Furthermore, hierarchical confirmatory factor analysis found that the previously proposed hierarchical seven-factor structure of the HAI fit the data well. These results provide support for the use of the HAI by professionals working with individuals who have ever experienced problematic substance use. Specifically, for the purpose of developing a better understanding about which career competencies clients may need to work on to improve their ability to navigate career development and exploration.

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2020-04-24

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/74144

Counselling Psychology

University of British Columbia

UBCV

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/