Exploring the psychological well-being construct and validating the Comprehensive Inventory of Thriving in Singapore
摘要
Positive psychological functions are associated with various health and life outcomes. This study examined the construct of psychological well-being in the multi-ethnic Singaporean population and evaluated the Comprehensive Inventory of Thriving (CIT) scale that captures 18 aspects of psychological well-being.
MethodA two-wave survey study was carried out with 1349 community-dwelling Singaporean adults, of whom 562 completed the second wave. We compared factor structures that have been reported in other populations. The factor model was further tested for replicability in a subsequent household survey sample (N = 1756).
ResultsA new higher-order factor model emerged in the Singaporean sample consisting of three dimensions: interpersonal well-being, individual well-being, and resistance to threats. The new structure demonstrated gender and age measurement invariance. CIT and the three dimensions had expected associations with mental health symptoms, work/study stress, and participants’ actual social support. The new higher-order factor model was replicated in the subsequent household survey sample. Finally, both CIT and its short form, the Brief Inventory of Thriving (BIT), showed convergent validity, reliability and test-retest reliability in the Singaporean population.
ConclusionsCIT demonstrated some evidence of construct validity and reliability in the current large samples of Singaporean community-dwelling adults. BIT can be an efficient tool to assess and monitor population general well-being.