A new lens on wellbeing: psychometric evaluation of the Wellbeing scale in India

Wellbeing is widely viewed as a multi-dimensional construct, encompassing factors like hedonia, eudaimonia, financial contentment, physical health, and social connectedness. The Wellbeing Scale integrates these dimensions into a unified framework for measuring wellbeing. While wellbeing research is growing in India, there is limited validation of the scales used. This study aimed to validate the English and Hindi versions of the Wellbeing Scale in the Indian context.

A convenience sample of 1795 adults (M age = 26.08 years) participated, with 986 completing the survey in English and 809 in Hindi. CFA was conducted for both language versions, and measurement invariance across language and socio-demographic variables was tested. Additionally, MANOVA examined the influence of socio-demographic factors on wellbeing domains.

CFA results indicated that the bifactor model confirmed the best fit for both language versions, while the higher-order factor structure demonstrated better measurement quality, reliability, and validity. Positive correlations were found between all factors and life satisfaction and positive feelings. Hedonic wellbeing was negatively associated with negative experiences. Measurement invariance testing supported the higher-order factor structure across languages and demographic variables. Wellbeing scores were significantly influenced by education, family income, and residence type.

Both the Hindi and English versions of the Wellbeing Scale are validated for use in the Indian context and are suitable for comparing wellbeing across demographic groups.