Abstract
BACKGROUND: It is clinically recognised that some people find it difficult to engage with, or commit to, self-help for life difficulties. This may be due to various reasons such as experiences of helplessness, feeling overwhelmed and lacking skills, and low confidence in the process. Another reason can be beliefs of 'needing others' to bring change about; that they are not able to do it for themselves and are 'hoping and waiting' for others to 'rescue' them. OBJECTIVES: This study developed a new self-report scale to explore people's experiences of hoping and waiting to be rescued from distressing mental states. Second, we sought to explore how this orientation links to mental health, social relating, early life experiences, and emotion dysregulation. METHODS: The scale comprised 18 items derived from clinical experiences and was completed online by two general population samples from the United Kingdom (total n = 445). Participants also completed measures of emotion dysregulation, reassurance-seeking, depression, anxiety, stress, self-other relating, social comparison, social safeness, early memories of warmth and parental bonding. RESULTS: Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses revealed a good factor structure that separated into two key themes: 1. Hoping and waiting for rescue from others and 2. Self-reliance. Hoping and waiting for rescue was negatively correlated with self-reliance. It was also correlated with parental over-protection (but not care), lack of feeling socially safe, higher reassurance-seeking, depression, anxiety, stress, and emotion dysregulation. Network analysis revealed a stable network in which hoping and waiting for rescue is a central node with direct connections to variables of mental health, social relating, and early life experiences. The scales demonstrated good test-retest reliability and internal consistency. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that individuals who feel they need others to rescue them from distressing mental states are less oriented to self-reliance and self-help. Moreover, this coping style is associated with a range of mental health difficulties. Therapists can be alert to these difficulties regarding why clients might not engage in self-help and help clients address them, including linking them to other issues such as unprocessed emotions associated with early attachment difficulties.