Measures of self-perceived well-being

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Increasing lifespans and improved health necessitate measuring well-being and quality of life.
• Existing measurement scales for well-being and quality of life face challenges due to definitional ambiguity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review nine distinct measures of psychological well-being.
• To trace the conceptual origins of these well-being measures.
• To compare their psychometric properties and guide their application.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive review of nine psychological well-being scales.
• Included measures: Life Satisfaction Index, Bradburn Affect Balance Scale, single-item measures, Philadelphia Morale scale, General Well-Being Schedule, Satisfaction With Life scale, Positive and Negative Affect Scale, WHO 5-item well-being index, and Ryff's scales.
• Evaluation of psychometric properties, including reliability and validity.

Main Results:

• The reviewed scales vary in length from one to 22 items.
• Reliability and validity range from good to excellent.
• Limited validity information exists for some newer scales, particularly concerning their application in health care evaluations.

Conclusions:

• Multiple instruments effectively measure various psychological well-being constructs.
• Most scales are suitable for general survey research.
• Further research is needed to confirm the adequacy of these measures for evaluating health care interventions, given ongoing theoretical debates.