EPA-1701 – Social values assessment in adolescence: exploratory study of the psychometric properties of the social values survey and its relationship with affective states and hope

Abstract

Introduction Social relationships (e.g. family, friendships and romantic relationships) are fundamental to human development and well-being. Objectives The current study aimed to explore the psychometric properties of the Social Values Questionnaire (SVS; Blackledge & Ciarrochi, 2006) in a sample of Portuguese adolescents. Furthermore we sought to understand motives for and commitment to social values and how these elements are associated with well-being across age and gender. Methods The sample included 268 adolescents (150 girls and 118 boys) with ages ranging from 14 to 18 years old, attending high school. Participants completed a set of self-report measures: the SVS, the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS-C; Sadin, 1997), the Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale (SLSS;Huebner 1991) and the Children's Hope Scale (CHS; Snyder, Hoza, Pelham, Rapoff, Ware, Danovsky, Highberger, Rubinstein & Stahl, 1997). Results The Portuguese version of the SVS showed high internal consistency: Intrinsic motivation (α=0,91), extrinsic motivation (α=0,90), commitment (α=0,79). It also showed adequate test retest reliability. Gender revealed a relevant role with girls presenting more intrinsic motivation, less extrinsic motivation and a higher degree of commitment when compared with boys. Age was positively correlated with intrinsic motivation and commitment. Significant and expected relationships were also found between SVS subscales and positive and negative affect, life satisfaction, and hope. Conclusions The SVS seems to be a valid and reliable instrument for the assessment of social values in adolescents. This construct is an important one in the context of mindfulness and acceptance based therapies and thus its assessment is pertinent.