The Promotion of Hope in Children and Youth

Abstract

It is theorized that children are hopeful and that they report higher hope than most adults (Marques and Lopez 2014; Snyder 1994). Although the school years should be among the most hopeful in student's lives, recent research suggests that hope is moderate during late childhood (ages 10-13), declining from late childhood to adolescence (ages 14-17), with only people 65 years and older reporting lower levels than adolescence during the entire lifespan (Marques and Lopez 2014). This finding seems to imply that children and adolescents are ideal targets for programs and interventions aimed at fostering hope. This chapter briefly review details how hope construct is meaningful, measureable, and malleable via intentional change efforts. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)