Validation of the Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale in a South African adult group

Abstract

In the current exploration of the field of positive psychology, the construct of well-being and its different facets has increasingly become the focus of research. This has led to the development of various measuring instruments that measure aspects of well-being and that enhance the understanding of well-being and its correlates. One such measure that attempts to measure overall well-being is the Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (SWEMWBS; Stewart-Brown et al., 2009) which was developed from the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS; Tennant et al., 2007). After further analysis of the original 14-item WEMWBS by Stewart-Brown et al. (2009), the SWEMWBS was developed, containing only seven positively worded items which was found to be unidimensional and largely free of bias for gender (Stewart-Brown et al., 2009). When considering the use of measuring instruments in different contexts it is important to take into consideration that a scale that was developed and found to be valid in one population does not necessarily perform well in other contexts. To ensure the accurate usage of measures within a proposed sample and to avoid bias and unreliable results, it is imperative that the measures should be validated for each population in which it is used. The aim of the current research was to explore the psychometric properties of the English version of the Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (SWEMWBS) in a multicultural South African adult group. In particular, the factorial validity, internal consistency reliability and the convergent and discriminant validity of the SWEMWBS were investigated. The data used was collected from 2011 to 2014 as part of the FORT3 project that used a mixed-methods cross-sectional survey design, and which was approved by the Ethics Committee of the North-West University, South Africa (ethics approval number: NWU 00002-07-A2). The participants were a nonprobability adult sample of 421 South African participants between the ages of 18 and 74. The current research indicated that the 7-item SWEMWBS showed sufficient internal consistency reliability (Cronbach’s alpha value of .80) and had a one-dimensional factor structure supported by both confirmatory factor analysis and exploratory factor analysis. Convergent and discriminant validity was confirmed as the scale scores showed positive correlations with scores on other well-being scales, specifically the Mental Health Continuum – Short Form (total score as well as subscales), the Satisfaction with Life Scale, the Meaning in Life Questionnaire – Presence subscale, and the Positive Affect and Negative Affect Schedule – Positive Affect subscale. Scores on the SWEMWBS also displayed negative correlations with scores on a scale measuring negative affect, that is the Positive Affect and Negative Affect Schedule – Negative Affect subscale, and a scale measuring depression, that is the Patient Health Questionnaire-9. A negligible correlation with scores on the Meaning in Life Questionnaire – Search subscale was indicated. Overall, the scale displayed good psychometric properties within the current South African adult sample. The findings suggest that the SWEMWBS holds potential for use in future research and practice pertaining to mental well-being among South African adults