Psychometric Properties of the 44-Item Version of Ryff’s Psychological Well-Being Scale
Abstract
This study examined the factorial validity and reliability (Ωw) of the nonreversed, 44-item version of Ryff’s Psychological Well-Being Scale (PWBS; Ryff, 1989) on a Romanian convenience sample of 664 participants from the general population. The results showed that the correlated six-factor model presented a relatively good fit, χ²(887) = 2922.85, p < .001, RMSEA = .059, RMSEA 90% CI = [.056; .062], SRMR = .048, CFI = .973, compared to single-factor and independent six-factor models. Based on the ΔCFI value, we found no significant differences between the correlated six-factor and the hierarchical model. Although the correlated six-factor model had a relatively good fit, the high correlations between the six latent factors suggest a high overlap among them. Our results indicate that well-being can be conceptualized as a second-order factor encompassing six dimensions, represented by autonomy, positive relations, environmental mastery, personal growth, purpose in life, and self-acceptance. The value of the Ωw reliability coefficient of the six subscales as well as the whole instrument was above .70. The present study has a practical implication by highlighting the factorial validity of a shorter (44-item) instrument, thus shortening the time necessary for data collection.
References
(2006, October 4). Psychometric evaluation and predictive validity of Ryff’s psychological well-being items in a UK birth cohort sample of women. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, 4, 76.
(2010). An evaluation of the precision of measurement of Ryff’s Psychological Well-Being Scales in a population sample. Social Indicators Research, 97, 357–373.
(2008). The scales of psychological well-being: A study of validity and reliability. Educational Sciences: Theory and Practice, 8, 741–750.
(1961). Pattern and growth in personality. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.
(2006). Challenges for career interventions in changing contexts. International Journal for Educational and Vocational Guidance, 6, 3–14.
(1995). Composite reliability in structural equation modeling. Educational and Psychological Measurements, 55, 394–406.
(2009). Investigating the structural validity of Ryff’s psychological well-being scales across two samples. Social Indicators Research, 93, 359–375.
(2008). What happens if we compare chopsticks with forks? The impact of making inappropriate comparisons in cross-cultural research. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 95, 1005–1018.
(2005). Measuring psychological well-being in the Chinese. Personality and Individual Differences, 38, 1307–1316.
(2002). Evaluating goodness-of-fit indexes for testing measurement invariance. Structural Equation Modeling, 9, 233–255.
(2001). Measuring psychological well-being in the Canadian Study of Health and Aging. International Psychogeriatrics, 13, 79–90.
(2004). Social support and recovery in people with serious mental illnesses. Community Mental Health Journal, 40, 513–523.
(2006). Adaptácíon espanola de las escalas de bienestar psicológico de Ryff [
Spanish adaptation of the Psychological Well-Being Scales (PWBS) ]. Psicothema, 18, 572–577.(1984). Subjective well-being. Psychological Bulletin, 95, 542–575.
(1985). The satisfaction with life scale. Journal of Personality Assessment, 49, 71–5.
(2001). Multidimensional constructs in organizational behavior research: An integrating analytical framework. Organizational Research Methods, 4, 144–192.
(2011). The fallacy of formative measurement. Organizational Research Methods, 14, 370–388.
(1959). Identity and the life cycle. Psychological Issues, 1, 18–164.
(1972). The detection of psychiatric illness by questionnaire (Maudsley Monograph No. 21). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
(1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indices in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling, 61, 1–55.
(2010). Psychological well-being: Evidence regarding its causes and consequences. In , Mental capital and well-being (pp. 907–925). Chichester, UK: Wiley-Blackwell.
(2004). The science of well-being. Integrating neurobiology, psychology and social science. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, Series B, 359(1449), 1329–1451.
(1993). New features in Lisrel 8. Chicago, IL: Scientific Software International.
(2002). The construct validity of Ryff’s scales of psychological well-being (SPWB) and their relationship to measures of subjective well-being. Social Indicators Research, 57, 171–190.
(2008). The mental health continuum: From languishing to flourishing in life. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 43, 207–222.
(2010). Mental capital and well-being through life. In , Mental capital and well-being (pp. 3–53). Chichester, UK: Wiley-Blackwell.
(2004). Ryff’s psychological well-being inventory: Factorial structure and life history correlates among Japanese university students. Psychological Reports, 94, 83–103.
(2006). The sources of four commonly reported cutoff criteria: What did they really say? Organizational Research Methods, 9, 202–220.
(2004). Psychology and culture. Annual Review of Psychology, 55, 689–717.
(2004). Toward a unifying theoretical and practical perspective on well-being and psychological adjustment. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 51, 482–509.
(2005). Textbook of psychosomatic medicine. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Publishing.
(2006). Factor structure of Ryff’s psychological well-being scales in Swedish female and male white-collar workers. Personality and Individual Differences, 40, 1213–1222.
(2012). Method effects: The problem with the negatively versus positively keyed items. Journal of Personality Assessment, 94, 196–204.
(2010). Calitatea vieţii în România. Institutul de Cercetare a Calităţii Vieţii (ICCV). Bucureţti: Editura Expert.
(1968). Toward a psychology of being (2nd ed.). New York: Van Nostrand.
(1961). The measurement of life satisfaction. Journals of Gerontology, 16, 134–43.
(2005). Construct equivalence across groups: An unexplored issue in mentoring research. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 65, 323–335.
(1961). On becoming a person. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.
(2001). On happiness and human potentials: A review of research on hedonic and eudaimonic well-being. Annual Review of Psychology, 52, 141–166.
(1989). Happiness is everything, or is it? Explorations on the meaning of psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 57, 1069–1081.
(1995). The structure of psychological well-being revisited. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 69, 719–727.
(1998). The contours of positive human health. Psychological Inquiry, 9, 1–28.
(2006). Best news yet on the six-factor model of well-being. Social Science Research, 35, 1103–1119.
(2011). Flourish: A visionary new understanding of happiness and well-being. New York: Free Press.
(2005). Life meaning: An important correlate of health in the Hungarian population. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 12, 78–85.
(2006). An assessment of the construct validity of Ryff’s Scales of Psychological Well-Being: Method, mode, and measurement effects. Social Science Research, 35, 1119–1130.
(2006). Bad news indeed for Ryff’s six-factor model of well-being. Social Science Research, 35, 1120–1131.
(2012). Resilience and coping as predictors of general well-being in the elderly: A structural equation modeling approach. Aging & Mental Health, 16, 317–326.
(2007). Construct validity of Ryff’s scales of psychological well-being in Spanish older adults. Psychological Reports, 100, 1151–1164.
(2004). Essentials of psychological testing. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
(2005). The construct validity of Ryff’s scales of psychological well-being and its extension with spiritual well-being. Personality and Individual Differences, 36, 629–643.
(2008). Ryff’s six-factor model of psychological well-being, a Spanish exploration. Social Indicators Research, 87, 473–479.
(2010). Measuring well-being among Spanish older adults: Development of a simplified version of Ryff’s scales of psychological well-being. Psychological Reports, 107, 265–280.
(1993). Two conceptions of happiness: contrasts of personal expressiveness (eudaimonia) and hedonic enjoyment. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 64, 678–691.
(2008). Mental capital. The economic significance of mental health. Maastricht: Universitaire Pers Maastricht.
. (1948). Preamble to the Constitution of the World Health Organization. In Official records of the World Health Organization, No. 2 (p. 100). Geneva: Author. Retrieved from whqlibdoc.who.int/hist/official_records/2e.pdf
