Development and validation of the Psychological Well-Being scale for children (PWB-c)

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.