Abstract
The study investigated the factor structure of the 15-item social well-being scale in an African context. Social well-being is categorised into five dimensions: social integration, social contribution, social coherence, social actualisation and social acceptance. Data were collected from 402 participants in South Africa (50% male, average age of 21 years). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and exploratory structural equation modelling (ESEM) were conducted in Mplus (version 8.1), on the 15-item measure. Results showed advantages of ESEM’s flexibility, through which an unstable emic four factor solution emerged. For such complex multidimensional psychological constructs measured in novel contexts, ESEM is best suited for exploring factorial validity. Although the present study’s findings should have implication for theory, future studies should further explore social well-being measurement using the long- and short-form instruments in diverse African samples.
Highlights
The understanding of well-being as something with only an intrapersonal location misses the reality that people are both private and public beings whose lives are socially and communally embedded (Keyes, 1998; Kpanake, 2018; Prilleltensky, 2005). White (2010) described well-being as social process with material, relational and subjective dimensions and emphasised the centrality of relatedness
It makes sense that those interested in the study of well-being in an African context should take into account the social, relational and communal dimensions of well-being and its measurement
Social Well-being Scale Short-Form The Social Well-being Scale Short-Form (SWS-SF) (Keyes, 1998) is a 15-item scale designed to measure social well-being based on the five dimensions indicating how individuals appraise circumstances and functioning in society
Summary
The understanding of well-being as something with only an intrapersonal location misses the reality that people are both private and public beings whose lives are socially and communally embedded (Keyes, 1998; Kpanake, 2018; Prilleltensky, 2005). White (2010) described well-being as social process with material, relational and subjective dimensions and emphasised the centrality of relatedness. The social and community embeddedness of people is an integral characteristic of the African socio-cultural orientation in which the social good takes precedence over separate personhood (Kpanake, 2018; Molefe, 2017; Nyamnjoh, 2017, 2019; Wissing & Temane, 2013). It makes sense that those interested in the study of well-being in an African context should take into account the social, relational and communal dimensions of well-being (see Chilisa & Tsheko, 2014; Mertens, 2016; Wilson, Wissing, & Schutte, 2019) and its measurement. From an African socio-cultural perspective, the nature of being is inherently relational (Chilisa, Major, & KhuduPetersen, 2017). Social well-being is important because it captures a socially oriented conceptualisation of well-being (Patri, Albanesi, & Pietrantoni, 2016)
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