Development and validation of the Thai mental well-being scale

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Public Health
• Psychometrics

Background:

• Mental well-being is crucial for overall health.
• No validated tool currently exists for assessing mental well-being in Thailand.
• Existing measures may not be culturally relevant to the Thai population.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a culturally relevant mental well-being scale for Thai citizens.
• To establish a psychometrically sound instrument for assessing mental well-being in Thailand.
• To provide a tool for identifying and addressing mental health challenges within the Thai population.

Main Methods:

• Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) on a sample of 1000 Thai citizens to determine the scale's structure.
• Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) on a separate validation group of 1000 Thai citizens to confirm the factor structure.
• Psychometric analyses including reliability (internal consistency) and validity (convergent and discriminant) testing.

Main Results:

• EFA identified a three-factor structure for mental well-being: positive emotion and thinking, positive relationship, and positive functioning.
• CFA confirmed this 10-item, three-factor structure in a separate validation sample.
• The developed scale demonstrated strong internal consistency reliability and robust convergent and discriminant validity.

Conclusions:

• The newly developed mental well-being scale is reliable and valid for the Thai population.
• This scale serves as a valuable instrument for mental health research and practice in Thailand.
• The findings support the cultural adaptation and application of mental well-being assessment tools.