Evidence for the Psychometric Validity, Internal Consistency and Measurement Invariance of Warwick Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale Scores in Scottish and Irish Adolescents

McKay, Michael T.; Andretta, James R.

doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2017.06.071

Cited by 122Psychometric Methodologies and TestingPsychological Well-being and Life SatisfactionMental Health Research Topics

Evidence for the Psychometric Validity, Internal Consistency and Measurement Invariance of Warwick Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale Scores in Scottish and Irish Adolescents

McKay, Michael T., Andretta, James R.·2017·Psychiatry Research

DOI 10.1016/j.psychres.2017.06.071

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Abstract

Mental well-being is an important indicator of current, but also the future health of adolescents. The 14-item Warwick Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS) has been well validated in adults world-wide, but less work has been undertaken to examine the psychometric validity and internal consistency of WEMWBS scores in adolescents. In particular, little research has examined scores on the short 7-item version of the WEMWBS. The present study used two large samples of school children in Scotland and Northern Ireland and found that for both forms of the WEMWBS, scores were psychometrically valid, internally consistent, factor saturated, and measurement invariant by country. Using the WEMWBS full form, males reported significantly higher scores than females, and Northern Irish adolescents reported significantly higher scores than their Scottish counterparts. Last, the lowest overall levels of well-being were observed among Scottish females.

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The SWEMWBS has demonstrated good reliability (α = 0.84) and validity in adolescent and young adult populations.
“The scale has demonstrated good reliability (α = 0.84) and validity in adolescent and young adult populations (McKay and Andretta, 2017; Ringdal et al., 2018).”
From Pilot study of a well-being app to support New Zealand young people during the COVID-19 pandemic (2021) · cites this paper as McKay and Andretta, 2017

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RESEARCH ARTICLE Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale
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Factor structure and measurement invariance of the Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (SWEMWBS) among adolescents and youth
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Authors: McKay, M. T., & Andretta, J. R.
Affiliations: University of Liverpool (GB)
Supreme Court of the United States (US)
Corresponding author: McKay, Michael T.
ORCID: McKay, Michael T.
Andretta, James R.
Venue: Psychiatry Research
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Published: 2017-09
Volume: 255
Pages: 382-386
ISSN: 0165-1781 (ISSN-L)
DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2017.06.071
OpenAlex: W2671303442
Cited by: 122
References: 28
Citations by year: 2026: 12 · 2025: 17 · 2024: 24 · 2023: 21 · 2022: 18 · 2021: 11 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 8 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 1
FWCI: 4.60
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: closed
Licence: www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
Locations: Psychiatry Research (publishedVersion)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders: National Institute for Health and Care Research (10/3002/09)
Topics: Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › Management Science and Operations Research › Psychometric Methodologies and Testing
Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction
Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Mental Health Research Topics
Keywords: Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale, adolescent psychological well-being, psychometric validity, internal consistency, measurement invariance, cross-national comparison, Scotland, Northern Ireland, elementary school students
MeSH terms: Adolescent, Analysis of Variance, Child, Female, Humans, Ireland, Male, Psychiatric Status Rating Scales, Psychometrics, Surveys and Questionnaires, Scotland, Reproducibility of Results

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Evidence for the Psychometric Validity, Internal Consistency and Measurement Invariance of Warwick Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale Scores in Scottish and Irish Adolescents

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