IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/soinre/v118y2014i3p953-967.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Happiness in Italy: Translation, Factorial Structure and Norming of the Subjective Happiness Scale in a Large Community Sample

Author

Listed:
  • Luca Iani
  • Marco Lauriola
  • Kristin Layous
  • Saulo Sirigatti

Abstract

The Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS) is one of the most commonly used measures of happiness. Many translations and validation studies have been carried out in different countries and languages. The aim of the current paper was to investigate the psychometric properties of the Italian translation of the SHS and to provide normative data. The SHS was administered with life satisfaction items, anxiety and depression scales to a community sample of 993 participants, aged 18–85 years, living in different parts of Italy. Age and gender distributions were stratified according to the population pyramid. Confirmatory Factor Analysis supported the unidimensionality of the SHS, with acceptable fit indexes (NNFI = .96; CFI = .99; RMSEA = .08; 95 % C.I. [.04–.12]). Multi-group analyses supported total invariance of the SHS measurement model for males and females, and partial invariance for younger (i.e., 18–44 years old) and older (i.e., 45–85 years old) participants. Significant correlations with satisfaction items, anxiety and depression provided evidence for concurrent validity. These findings showed that the Italian SHS translation is a reliable and valid tool, which adds to existing translations and validation studies in different countries and languages. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2014

Suggested Citation

  • Luca Iani & Marco Lauriola & Kristin Layous & Saulo Sirigatti, 2014. "Happiness in Italy: Translation, Factorial Structure and Norming of the Subjective Happiness Scale in a Large Community Sample," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 118(3), pages 953-967, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:soinre:v:118:y:2014:i:3:p:953-967
    DOI: 10.1007/s11205-013-0468-7
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1007/s11205-013-0468-7
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s11205-013-0468-7?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Viren Swami, 2008. "Translation and Validation of the Malay Subjective Happiness Scale," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 88(2), pages 347-353, September.
    2. Sonja Lyubomirsky & Heidi Lepper, 1999. "A Measure of Subjective Happiness: Preliminary Reliability and Construct Validation," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 46(2), pages 137-155, February.
    3. Paola Spagnoli & António Caetano & Ana Silva, 2012. "Psychometric Properties of a Portuguese Version of the Subjective Happiness Scale," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 105(1), pages 137-143, January.
    4. Viren Swami & Stefan Stieger & Martin Voracek & Stefan Dressler & Laura Eisma & Adrian Furnham, 2009. "Psychometric Evaluation of the Tagalog and German Subjective Happiness Scales and a Cross-Cultural Comparison," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 93(2), pages 393-406, September.
    5. Saulo Sirigatti & Ilaria Penzo & Luca Iani & Annamaria Mazzeschi & Halina Hatalskaja & Enrichetta Giannetti & Cristina Stefanile, 2013. "Measurement Invariance of Ryff’s Psychological Well-being Scales Across Italian and Belarusian Students," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 113(1), pages 67-80, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Marco Lauriola & Luca Iani, 2017. "Personality, Positivity and Happiness: A Mediation Analysis Using a Bifactor Model," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 18(6), pages 1659-1682, December.
    2. Albert Feliu-Soler & Javier de Diego-Adeliño & Juan V. Luciano & Ioseba Iraurgi & Carlo Alemany & Dolors Puigdemont & Víctor Pérez & Maria J. Portella & Joan Trujols, 2021. "Unhappy While Depressed: Examining the Dimensionality, Reliability and Validity of the Subjective Happiness Scale in a Spanish Sample of Patients with Depressive Disorders," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(20), pages 1-13, October.
    3. Gabriela-Mihaela Mureșan & Viorela-Ligia Văidean & Codruța Mare & Monica Violeta Achim, 2023. "Were we happy and we didn’t know it? A subjective dynamic and financial assessment pre-, during and post-COVID-19," The European Journal of Health Economics, Springer;Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gesundheitsökonomie (DGGÖ), vol. 24(5), pages 749-768, July.
    4. Víctor-Raúl López-Ruiz & Nuria Huete-Alcocer & José-Luis Alfaro-Navarro & Domingo Nevado-Peña, 2021. "The relationship between happiness and quality of life: A model for Spanish society," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(11), pages 1-15, November.
    5. Teresa Fazia & Francesco Bubbico & Gerardo Salvato & Giovanni Berzuini & Salvatore Bruno & Gabriella Bottini & Luisa Bernardinelli, 2020. "Boosting Psychological Well-Being through a Social Mindfulness-Based Intervention in the General Population," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(22), pages 1-15, November.
    6. Paola Manfredi, 2022. "Benefits, Risks and Gender Differences in Sport, and Exercise Dependence: Key Role of Alexithymia," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(9), pages 1-14, April.
    7. Paola Manfredi, 2022. "Is This All COVID-19′s Fault? A Study on Trainees in One of the Most Affected Italian Cities," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(20), pages 1-18, October.
    8. Laura Giuntoli & Francesco Ceccarini & Claudio Sica & Corrado Caudek, 2017. "Validation of the Italian Versions of the Flourishing Scale and of the Scale of Positive and Negative Experience," SAGE Open, , vol. 7(1), pages 21582440166, January.
    9. Longobardi, C. & Settanni, M. & Fabris, M.A. & Marengo, D., 2020. "Follow or be followed: Exploring the links between Instagram popularity, social media addiction, cyber victimization, and subjective happiness in Italian adolescents," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 113(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Veljko Jovanović, 2014. "Psychometric Evaluation of a Serbian Version of the Subjective Happiness Scale," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 119(2), pages 1095-1104, November.
    2. Natalio Extremera & Pablo Fernández-Berrocal, 2014. "The Subjective Happiness Scale: Translation and Preliminary Psychometric Evaluation of a Spanish Version," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 119(1), pages 473-481, October.
    3. Albert Feliu-Soler & Javier de Diego-Adeliño & Juan V. Luciano & Ioseba Iraurgi & Carlo Alemany & Dolors Puigdemont & Víctor Pérez & Maria J. Portella & Joan Trujols, 2021. "Unhappy While Depressed: Examining the Dimensionality, Reliability and Validity of the Subjective Happiness Scale in a Spanish Sample of Patients with Depressive Disorders," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(20), pages 1-13, October.
    4. Gabriela-Mihaela Mureșan & Viorela-Ligia Văidean & Codruța Mare & Monica Violeta Achim, 2023. "Were we happy and we didn’t know it? A subjective dynamic and financial assessment pre-, during and post-COVID-19," The European Journal of Health Economics, Springer;Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gesundheitsökonomie (DGGÖ), vol. 24(5), pages 749-768, July.
    5. Paola Spagnoli & António Caetano & Ana Silva, 2012. "Psychometric Properties of a Portuguese Version of the Subjective Happiness Scale," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 105(1), pages 137-143, January.
    6. Viren Swami & Ulrich Tran & Stefan Stieger & Martin Voracek, 2015. "Associations Between Women’s Body Image and Happiness: Results of the YouBeauty.com Body Image Survey (YBIS)," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 16(3), pages 705-718, June.
    7. Lamia Moghnie & Shahe Kazarian, 2012. "Subjective Happiness of Lebanese College Youth in Lebanon: Factorial Structure and Invariance of the Arabic Subjective Happiness Scale," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 109(2), pages 203-210, November.
    8. Johannes Bohn & Jana Holtmann & Maike Luhmann & Tobias Koch & Michael Eid, 2020. "Attachment to Parents and Well-Being After High School Graduation: A Study Using Self- and Parent Ratings," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 21(7), pages 2493-2525, October.
    9. Hirose, Junichi & Kotani, Koji & Managi, Shunsuke, 2023. "Do autonomy and inquisitiveness contribute to SDGs? Implications from the matrilineal island of Palau," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 303-318.
    10. Melikşah Demir & Ingrid Davidson, 2013. "Toward a Better Understanding of the Relationship Between Friendship and Happiness: Perceived Responses to Capitalization Attempts, Feelings of Mattering, and Satisfaction of Basic Psychological Needs," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 14(2), pages 525-550, April.
    11. Douglas Rhein & Alexander Nanni, 2022. "Assessing Mental Health Among Thai University Students: A Cross-Sectional Study," SAGE Open, , vol. 12(4), pages 21582440221, October.
    12. Viren Swami & Stefan Stieger & Martin Voracek & Stefan Dressler & Laura Eisma & Adrian Furnham, 2009. "Psychometric Evaluation of the Tagalog and German Subjective Happiness Scales and a Cross-Cultural Comparison," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 93(2), pages 393-406, September.
    13. Melikşah Demir & Ömer Şimşek & Amanda Procsal, 2013. "I Am so Happy ‘Cause My Best Friend Makes Me Feel Unique: Friendship, Personal Sense of Uniqueness and Happiness," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 14(4), pages 1201-1224, August.
    14. Lídia Oliveira & Andreia Teixeira & Ivone Duarte, 2022. "The Appraisal of Self-Care Agency Scale-Revised (ASAS-R): Reliability and Validity among Portuguese Medical Students," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(17), pages 1-12, August.
    15. Torshizian, Eilya & Mehrara, Mohsen, 2011. "The effects of Economy, Values and Health on Happiness In Iran: the case of the Kish Island," MPRA Paper 30085, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 05 Apr 2011.
    16. Rogie Royce Carandang & Akira Shibanuma & Edward Asis & Dominga Carolina Chavez & Maria Teresa Tuliao & Masamine Jimba, 2020. "“Are Filipinos Aging Well?”: Determinants of Subjective Well-Being among Senior Citizens of the Community-Based ENGAGE Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(20), pages 1-13, October.
    17. Darío Díaz & Amalio Blanco & Miriam Bajo & Maria Stavraki, 2015. "Fatalism and Well-Being Across Hispanic Cultures: The Social Fatalism Scales (SFS)," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 124(3), pages 929-945, December.
    18. Joey Man Yee KWOK & Douglas Kei Shing NG, 2016. "A Study of the Perceived Stress Level of University Students in Hong Kong," International Journal of Psychological Studies, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 8(4), pages 1-91, December.
    19. Alberto Dionigi & Giulia Casu & Paola Gremigni, 2020. "Associations of Self-Efficacy, Optimism, and Empathy with Psychological Health in Healthcare Volunteers," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(16), pages 1-13, August.
    20. Ana Junça-Silva, 2022. "Friends with Benefits: The Positive Consequences of Pet-Friendly Practices for Workers’ Well-Being," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(3), pages 1-10, January.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:soinre:v:118:y:2014:i:3:p:953-967. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.