TITLE:
Development and Validation of a Mental Wellbeing Scale in Singapore
AUTHORS:
Chan Mei Fen, Isnis Isa, Chang Weining Chu, Chew Ling, Sng Yan Ling
KEYWORDS:
Mental Wellbeing; Psychological Wellbeing
JOURNAL NAME:
Psychology,
Vol.4 No.7,
July
19,
2013
ABSTRACT:
With a total
number of 3400 participants, a sequence of four studies in two waves of data
collection, the present study identified the conceptualization and construction
of a mental wellbeing scale in a modern Asian multi-ethnic community-Singapore.
Study 1 consisted a series of interviews (N = 351), surveys (N = 161) and focus
group discussions (N = 59) to examine the popular conceptualization and manifestation
of the construct of mental wellbeing in Singapore. The multi-ethnic inputs were
then categorized into popular categories to construct a prototype of the
Singapore Mental Wellbeing (SMWEB) Scale. With a nationally representative
sample of 741 participants, Study 2 found the internal reliability (α = .962,
30 items) and a strong construct validity of the SMWEB. EFA and CFA confirmed a
five dimensional structure of the SMWEB: Asian Self-esteem, Social
Intelligence, Emotional Intelligence, Resilience and Cognitive Efficacy. Each
dimension is internally coherent and culturally meaningful. With an additional
nationally representative sample of 2091 participants, Study 3 constructed a
short form of the SMWEB, the SMWEB-S with high internal reliability (α = .932,
16 items) and strong construct validity. Using Sample 2 and the SMWEB-S, Study
4 further validated the SMWEB as a measure of mental wellbeing by testing two
theoretical models: the multi-dimensional model of mental wellbeing and the two
factor model of mental wellbeing versus mental disorders. Excellent fit indices
were found with both models. Further, the SMWEB-S showed significant construct
validity by significantly predicting the culturally sanctioned goal pursuits:
personal income and education attainment.