Development and Validation of the Psychological Well-Being Scale for Children (PWB-c)

Suzanna J. Opree, Moniek Buijzen and Eva A. Van Reijmersdal
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Suzanna J. Opree: Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication ESHCC, Erasmus University Rotterdam, 3000DR Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Moniek Buijzen: Behavioural Science Institute BSI, Radboud University, 6503GG Nijmegen, The Netherlands
Eva A. Van Reijmersdal: Amsterdam School of Communication Research ASCoR, University of Amsterdam, 1001NG Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Societies, 2018, vol. 8, issue 1, 1-14

Abstract: Research into children’s psychological well-being is scarce and fragmented. To be able to study the predictors of children’s psychological well-being and advance the field, a reliable and valid measure is needed. In studies among adults, psychological well-being (PWB) is commonly measured along six dimensions (environmental mastery, personal growth, purpose in life, self-acceptance, autonomy, and positive relations with others) using Ryff’s PWB scale. Because the original scale was too abstract for use among children, we adapted its items to make them suitable for 8- to 12-year-olds. After a successful pretest, we conducted a pilot study ( N = 157) and main study ( N = 1877) to test the statistical properties of our Psychological Well-Being scale for children (PWB-c). Based on confirmatory factor analysis three versions were developed with, respectively, 24, 12, and 6 items. All versions were tested for internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and construct validity. We recommend using the 24- or 12-item versions of the scale, because they score high on all three criteria.

Keywords: psychological well-being; children; scale development; scale validation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A13 A14 P P0 P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 Z1 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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