Social closeness and cognitive functioning increase feelings of hope for individuals in inpatient treatment

Abstract

Hope is important in recovery during inpatient treatment. Prior research suggests social closeness and executive functioning are important in increasing hope. It is unclear whether these findings extend to inpatient settings, and how these constructs interact. Male psychiatric inpatients ( N ​= ​98) were recruited from a substance use treatment facility. Hopefulness and social closeness were measured using an ambulatory survey, and executive functioning was measured using an ambulatory Trail Making Test (TMT). Patients provided data 3–4 times per week over four weeks. Multi-level modeling was used to determine whether hopefulness was predicted by social closeness and executive functioning. Social closeness was positively related to hopefulness. However, executive functioning did not predict hope alone but acted as a moderator – lower executive functioning diminished the effects of social closeness on hope. These findings provide practical implications for inpatient treatment — both social closeness and executive functioning should be considered when fostering hope. • Among male psychiatric inpatients at a substance use treatment facility, social closeness predicts increased hope. • However, when participants had lower executive functioning, social closeness no longer predicted hope. • Addressing both executive functioning and social closeness is critical in fostering hope and supporting recovery.