Factor Structure, Reliability, and Construct Validity of the Wellness Inventory

Wellness has been associated with various general medical and mental health outcomes; however, few empirically supported measures capture the breadth of the wellness construct. The first author had previously developed the Wellness Inventory through an iterative process with key stakeholders to establish face and content validity and examined the psychometric properties of the Wellness Inventory as a tool for assessing wellness across eight dimensions.

The authors assessed the Wellness Inventory by using data from self-report online surveys in three samples of data collected from two groups of respondents: students and faculty members in a public university and behavioral health providers (N=3,446; 50% White and 43% female). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses and data from samples 1 and 2 were used to examine the factor structure and fit of the inventory. Data from sample 3 were used to assess test-retest reliability and convergent and discriminant validity.

Factor analyses yielded a one-factor model comprising 54 items. A revised instrument based on this model revealed good fit to the data, internal consistency, and test-retest reliability and reasonable construct validity.

The Wellness Inventory is a comprehensive and psychometrically valid tool for assessing wellness. The findings support a single dimension of wellness, suggesting wellness as a holistic, general construct. This inventory has implications for research on health promotion and prevention and clinical outcomes in both research and treatment.