Validation of the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) in older Argentine adults

Emotional functioning plays a key role in well-being and healthy ageing. The Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) is one of the most widely used tools to assess affective dimensions, but few studies have validated its psychometric properties in older adults in Argentina.

To validate the factorial structure and psychometric properties of the PANAS in a sample of non-institutionalised older Argentine adults.

A total of 206 participants aged 60-91 years completed the PANAS along with measures of emotional, psychological, and social well-being, life satisfaction, and depression. Confirmatory factor analysis was performed to test the bifactorial structure of positive affect (PA) and negative affect (NA), and reliability was assessed using Cronbach's α and McDonald's ω.

The two-factor model showed excellent fit to the data (Comparative Fit Index=0.98; Root Mean Square Error of Approximation=0.06), supporting the distinction between PA and NA. Internal consistency was high for both dimensions (α and ω>0.80). As expected, PA correlated positively with emotional and personal well-being and life satisfaction, whereas NA correlated negatively with these variables and positively with depressive symptoms.

The findings confirm the validity and reliability of the PANAS in older Argentine adults. This instrument demonstrates a robust bidimensional structure and consistent associations with relevant psychological constructs, supporting its use for assessing affective dimensions in research and clinical contexts involving ageing populations.