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Analysing the Comparability of 3 Multi-Item Subjective Well-Being Psychometric Scales Among 15 Countries Using Samples of 10 and 12-Year-Olds

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  • Ferran Casas

    (University of Girona)

Abstract

To date, most cross-country comparisons of children’s subjective well-being have been conducted using single-item scales. Despite multi-item scales being more powerful for this purpose, they have seldom been tested on children when comparing results among more than 4 countries. Moreover, with very few exceptions, international comparisons have mostly been carried out using samples of children aged 12 or over and it is therefore uncertain how the scales available might work among younger populations, even if some scales have been tested in a few countries. We tested 3 psychometric scales on a sample of over 34,000 children from 15 countries aged mostly 10 and 12: the SLSS, the BMSLSS and the PWI-SC. We used the pooled database to identify models with a good fit by means of Confirmatory Factor Analysis, providing construct validity for each of the three scales for this set of countries. The comparability of the scales among countries was tested using Multi-group Confirmatory Factor Analysis to assess to what extent it is valid to make cross-national comparisons. Our results suggest that it is acceptable to compare correlations and regressions between most of the countries in our survey using each of these measures, with only a few exceptions. Some of the models using the specific modified SLSS version adopted in this research displayed promising results due to the fact that their correlations and regressions appeared to be comparable among all countries in the sample. However, mean scores for the overall indexes are only comparable among countries in some cases using partial intercept constraints. Two Multi-group Structural Equation Models including the three correlated multi-item psychometric scales plus two single-item scales (Overall Life Satisfaction and Overall Happiness Scale) displayed good fit indexes with constrained loadings for all countries, both for the 10 and 12-year-old samples. This result suggests that subjective well-being comparability increases among countries when using the five psychometric scales all together. With semi-partial constrained loadings and intercepts, fit statistics suggest that the means of this overall model can cautiously be compared among all countries: comparable items and not strictly comparable items were identified. Correlations among the psychometric scales and regressions of the multiple-item scales on the single-item scales clearly show different patterns among countries and variations according to age group, suggesting a high diversity of interrelations among these measures depending on age and different language and socio-cultural contexts.

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  • Ferran Casas, 2017. "Analysing the Comparability of 3 Multi-Item Subjective Well-Being Psychometric Scales Among 15 Countries Using Samples of 10 and 12-Year-Olds," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 10(2), pages 297-330, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:chinre:v:10:y:2017:i:2:d:10.1007_s12187-015-9360-0
    DOI: 10.1007/s12187-015-9360-0
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    1. E. Huebner & Julie Seligson & Robert Valois & Shannon Suldo, 2006. "A Review of the Brief Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 79(3), pages 477-484, December.
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    1. Loreto Ditzel & Ferran Casas & Javier Torres-Vallejos & Alejandra Villarroel, 2022. "The Subjective Well-Being of Chilean Children Living in Conditions of High Social Vulnerability," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 17(3), pages 1639-1660, June.
    2. Kyoungmi Park & Shun Wang, 2019. "Youth Activities and Children’s Subjective Well-Being in Korea," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 20(7), pages 2351-2365, October.
    3. Rodrigo Moreta-Herrera & Xavier Oriol-Granado & Mònica González-Carrasco & Diego Vaca-Quintana, 2023. "Examining the Relationship between Subjective Well-being and Psychological Well-being among 12-Year-Old-Children from 30 Countries," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 16(5), pages 1851-1870, October.
    4. Ana Loreto Ditzel & Yuli Ketain Meiri & Ferran Casas & Asher Ben-Arieh & Javier Torres-Vallejos, 2023. "Satisfaction with the Neighborhood of Israeli and Chilean Children and its Effects on their Subjective Well-being," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 16(2), pages 863-895, April.
    5. Paolo Raciti & Paloma Vivaldi Vera, 2019. "A Proposal for Measuring Children Emotional Well-Being within an Anti-Poverty Measure in Italy: Psychometric Characteristics and Comparative Verification of Results," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 12(4), pages 1187-1219, August.
    6. Shazly Savahl & Sabirah Adams & Ferran Casas & Maria Florence, 2023. "Children’s Interactions with Family and Friends in Constrained Contexts: Considerations for Children’s Subjective Well-Being," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 18(1), pages 321-339, February.
    7. L. Migliorini & T. Tassara & N. Rania, 2019. "A Study of Subjective Well-Being and Life Satisfaction in Italy: how are Children doing at 8 years of Age?," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 12(1), pages 49-69, February.
    8. Mònica González-Carrasco & Ferran Casas & Asher Ben-Arieh & Shazly Savahl & Habib Tiliouine, 2019. "Children’s Perspectives and Evaluations of Safety in Diverse Settings and Their Subjective Well-Being: A Multi-National Approach," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 14(2), pages 309-334, April.
    9. Shazly Savahl & Sabirah Adams & Phadiel Hoosen, 2024. "Children’s Experiences of Bullying Victimization and the Influence on Their Subjective Well-Being: a Population-Based Study," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 17(1), pages 1-29, February.
    10. Maria Aymerich & Ferran Casas, 2020. "A contextualized measure of Overall Life Satisfaction among adolescents: differences by gender," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 13(6), pages 2241-2260, December.
    11. Oliver Nahkur & Ferran Casas, 2021. "Fit and Cross-Country Comparability of Children’s Worlds Psychological Well-Being Scale Using 12-Year-Olds Samples," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 14(6), pages 2211-2247, December.
    12. Jose Marquez & Joanna Inchley & Emily Long, 2022. "Cross-Country and Gender Differences in Factors Associated with Population-Level Declines in Adolescent Life Satisfaction," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 15(4), pages 1405-1428, August.
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    14. Oriol, Xavier & Miranda, Rafael & Unanue, Jesus, 2020. "Bullying victimization at school and subjective well-being in early and late Peruvian adolescents in residential care: The contribution of satisfaction with microsystem domains," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 109(C).
    15. Sara Malo Cerrato & Isabel Benítez Baena & Mònica González-Carrasco, 2024. "Is the Self-Categorization of Social Network Consumption Related to Subjective Well-Being? A Longitudinal Study of Spanish Adolescents," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 17(5), pages 1919-1940, October.
    16. Ferran Casas & Mònica González-Carrasco, 2021. "Analysing Comparability of Four Multi-Item Well-being Psychometric Scales Among 35 Countries Using Children’s Worlds 3rd Wave 10 and 12-year-olds Samples," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 14(5), pages 1829-1861, October.
    17. Ferran Casas & Lívia Bedin & Mònica González-Carrasco & Jorge Castellá Sarriera & Jaime Alfaro, 2022. "Rights and overall life satisfaction of 10- and 12-year-old children in three countries," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 15(2), pages 487-509, April.
    18. Derakhshan, Leili & Maarefvand, Masoomeh & Ebadi, Abbas & Mousvai, Mir Taher, 2023. "Evaluation of the validity and reliability of Children’s Worlds Subjective Well-Being Scale (CW-SWBS) in Tehran, Iran," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 155(C).
    19. Noam Tarshish, 2020. "Children’s Multidimensional Subjective Well-Being in OECD and Non-OECD Countries: Is Cross-Country Comparison Possible?," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 13(1), pages 51-66, February.
    20. Eunho Cha & Joan P. Yoo, 2024. "Children’s Time Use Patterns and Subjective Well-being in Asian Countries," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 17(1), pages 445-481, February.
    21. Ditzel, Loreto & Casas, Ferran & Torres-Vallejos, Javier & Reyes, Fernando & Alfaro, Jaime, 2022. "Children participating in after-school programs in Chile: Subjective well-being, satisfaction with free time use and satisfaction with the program," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 132(C).
    22. Ana Blasco-Belled & Mònica González-Carrasco & Ferran Casas, 2023. "Filling the 8-Year-Old Gap in the Study of Well-Being: Cross-Cultural Assessment and Validation of a Subjective Well-Being Measure Across 19 Countries," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 16(3), pages 1363-1380, June.
    23. Marja Lindberg & Mikael Nygård & Fredrica Nyqvist & Mia Hakovirta, 2021. "Financial Stress and Subjective Wellbeing among Children -Evidence from Finland," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 14(2), pages 799-819, April.

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