Payesh2010; 9: 197-204Accepted for publication: 20 July 2007[EPub a head of print-25 May 2010] Objective(s): The purpose of this methodological research was to translate the Hopefulness Scale for Adolescents (HSA) into Persian and study its psychometric properties in a convenience sample of 120 Iranian institutionalized adolescents.Methods: Translation and back-translation of the original English scale and content validation through Waltz and Bussel Content Validity Index were initial steps of the study. The next step was the psychometric testing of the adapted scale by establishing construct validity (factor analysis), criterion-related validity, internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha) and stability (test-retest reliability).Results: Content validity procedure resulted in a final scale that consisted of 24 items (like the original version). Factor analysis yielded one factor. Correlation between HSA and Cooper-Smith Self-Esteem Inventory and Sherer’s Self-Efficacy Scale were r=0.59 (P<0.001) and r=0.487 (P<0.001). Internal consistency of the scale as assessed by Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was α=0.83, and test-retest reliability with a 2-week time interval was ICC=0.60.Conclusion: The Persian version of HSA is a valid & reliable scale to measure hopefulness in institutionalized adolescents.