Adaptation and validation of the Psychological General Well-Being Index: confirmatory factor analysis of the short version

Abstract

Background: Psychological well-being is a personal perception which can impact students’ health behaviors. To evaluate psychological well-being, instruments should be preferably short and have adequate psychometric properties. Objective: To validate the Questionário Geral de Bem-Estar Psicológico, versão reduzida (QGBEP-R) and verify its psychometric properties, after translation of the 6-item short version of the Psychological General Well-Being Index (PGWB-S). This Index was chosen because of the excellent psychometric properties of its original version. Methodology: The original factor structure was validated using confirmatory factor analysis through structural equation modeling and maximum likelihood estimation. A total of 300 students were randomly selected from a total sample of 1,400 Portuguese university students. Results: The confirmatory factor analysis revealed a fit 6-item one-factor model. Conclusion: The QGBEP-R has good psychometric properties and is valid for use in Portuguese university students.