Purpose: Hope was evaluated in Norwegian patients with cystic fibrosis (CF).
Participants: The subjects were 87 Norwegian adults with CF and a control group of 1020 from the general population (GP).
Methods: Subjects completed a questionnaires that included the Herth Hope Index and demographic variables. Data on health-related variables were collected for the CF group.
Results: The mean age of the CF patients was 29 years (range 18-54). Almost 50% had a forced expiratory volume for one second percent predicted (FEV1%) below 50%, and 21% reported perceiving being in a bad phase of the disease. The CF patients reported lower (poorer) levels of hope than the GP sample, especially for the item scared about the future. However, they scored higher on inner strength and were younger, more often living alone, unmarried, not in paid work, but with similar educational levels. Levels of hope increased with increasing age in the CF patients but decreased for the GP subjects. The health variable that most affected hope in the CF sample was pulmonary function, not the presence of asthma or chronic lung infections.
Conclusions: Persons growing up with CF experience many challenges. CF patients expressed slightly lower levels of hope and were more scared of the future. They scored higher on inner strength than the general population.