Cross-cultural measurements of psychological well-being: the psychometric equivalence of Cantonese, Vietnamese, and Laotian translations of the Affect Balance Scale.

Abstract

This paper evaluates the cultural equivalence of Cantonese, Vietnamese, and Laotian translations of the Affect Balance Scale. The scale was completed by 399 Vietnamese, 193 Laotian, 756 Cantonese, and 319 English speakers who were participants in the Clarke Institute-University of Toronto Refugee Resettlement Project (n = 1667). Confirmatory factor analyses indicated a good fit between the hypothesized two-factor model (separate factors for positive and negative affect) across the original English-language version and each of the Asian-language translations. Factorial invariance (numbers and patterns of factor loadings) was evident across all versions of the scale. No evidence of item bias was detected by mixed Language x Item analyses of variance. Acceptable reliability was observed; coefficient alphas ranged from .62 to .72 for positive affect and from .62 to .70 for negative affect items. These findings substantiate the cultural equivalence of the three translations of the scale for population health research. Important future research directions made possible by the availability of culturally equivalent instruments are discussed.