Further Validation of the General Psychological Well-Being Scale Among a Setswana-Speaking Group

Abstract

The aim of the study was to explore the reliability and validity of the General Psychological Well-being Scale (GPWS) in an African context. The study also explored the contextual manifestation of the construct general psychological well-being (GPW) in a Setswana-speaking adult sample. General psychological well-being is an empirically derived construct that encompasses an integration of multiple facets of hedonic and eudaimonic well-being. The GPWS is a 20-item self-report instrument through which GPW is operationalized. Its psychometric properties were explored using Classical Test Theory (CTT), Structural Equation Modelling (SEM), and Item Response Theory (IRT) approaches. A sample of 1,275 participants completed a battery of scales, including the GPWS, in a cross-sectional survey. Cronbach’s alpha coefficients, descriptive statistics, factor analyses, a t-test group comparison, analysis of variance (ANOVA), regression analyses, fit indices, item difficulty estimates, and interscale correlations were computed. The findings indicate that the GPWS is a reliable measure, with a multifaceted hierarchically organized factor structure, and that it is differentially influenced by socioenvironmental factors. Recommendations regarding the further refinement of the GPWS as an optimal measure of general psychological well-being are offered.