Alienation, despair and hope as predictors of health, coping and nonengagement among nonengaged youth: manifestations of spiritual emptiness

Abstract

In this research, nonengagement is conceived as a manifestation of spiritual emptiness characterized by alienation and despair. Three scales with satisfactory reliabilities, alienation, despair and hope, were developed and used as predictors of health, coping, and social and family nonengagement among 428 nonengaged youths (309 males and 119 females) aged 15–24 years in Hong Kong. The results show that alienation and despair are associated with (a) poorer health, (b) more frequent use of negative coping, especially by hiding oneself and, to a lesser extent, (c) nonengagement. Hope is associated with better health and more frequent use of positive coping. These results support the contention that nonengagement is a loss of hope, meaning and purpose in life.

Keywords:

• alienation
• despair
• hope
• health
• coping
• nonengagement
• spiritual emptiness

Acknowledgement

The authors express their gratitude for the partial financial support to this research by the Macau Foundation (Project Code: 1105, awarded through the City University of Macau).