scholarly journals Conceptualizing and Measuring Well-Being Using Statistical Semantics and Numerical Rating Scales

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oscar Nils Erik Kjell
Keyword(s):  
Language Processing ◽  
Rating Scales ◽  
Satisfaction With Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The Self ◽  
Satisfaction With Life Scale ◽  
Psychological Constructs ◽  
Life Scale ◽  
Numerical Rating ◽  
Psychological Balance

How to define and measure individuals’ well-being is important, as this has an impact on both research and society at large. This thesis concerns how to define and measure the self-reported well-being of individuals, which involves both theorizing as well as developing and applying empirical and statistical methods in order to gain a better understanding of well-being.The first paper critically reviews the literature on well-being. It identifies an individualistic bias in current approaches and accompanying measures related to well-being and happiness; for example, through an over-emphasis on the importance of self-centered aspects of well-being (e.g., the unprecedented focus on satisfaction with life) whilst disregarding the importance of harmony in life, interconnectedness and psychological balance in relation to well- being. It is also discussed how closed-ended well-being measures impose the researchers’ values and limit the ability of respondents to express themselves in regard to their perceived well-being.The second paper addresses concerns regarding this individualistic bias by developing the harmony in life scale, which focuses on interconnectedness and psychological balance. In addition, an open-ended approach is developed in the paper, allowing individuals to freely describe their pursuit of well-being by means of open-ended responses analyzed using statistical semantics (including techniques from artificial intelligence such as natural language processing and machine learning). The results show that the harmony in life scale and the traditional satisfaction with life scale form a two-factor model of well-being, where the harmony in life scale explains more unique variance in measures of psychological well-being, stress, depression and anxiety, but not happiness. It is further demonstrated that participants describe their pursuit of harmony in life using words related to interconnectedness (including words such as: peace, balance, cooperation), whereas they describe their pursuit of satisfaction with life using words related to independence (including words such as: money, achievement, fulfillment). It is concluded that the harmony in life scale complements the satisfaction with life scale for a more comprehensive understanding of subjective well-being.The third paper focuses on developing and evaluating a method for measuring and describing psychological constructs using open-ended questions analyzed by means of statistical semantics rather than closed-ended numerical rating scales. This semantic measures approach is tested and compared with traditional rating scales in nine studies, including two different paradigms involving reports regarding objective stimuli (i.e., the evaluation of facial expressions) and reports regarding subjective states (i.e., the self-reporting of harmony in life, satisfaction with life, depression and worry). The results indicate that semantic measures encompass higher, or competitive, levels of reliability and validity compared to traditional numerical rating scales. In addition, semantic measures appear to be better suited for differentiating between psychological constructs, such as harmony in life versus satisfaction with life as well as depression versus worry.In this thesis, the findings from these three papers are elaborated and integrated into two independent perspectives. The first perspective focuses on the theoretical and empirical differences between harmony in life and satisfaction with life within a context of societal and national progress. It is concluded that harmony in life complements satisfaction with life. The second perspective focuses on the open-ended, statistical semantics approach. It is proposed that statistical semantics may beneficially be used more widely as a research tool within psychological research.

scholarly journals Semantic Measures: Using Natural Language Processing to Measure, Differentiate and Describe Psychological Constructs

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oscar Nils Erik Kjell ◽  
Katarina Kjell ◽  
Danilo Garcia ◽  
Sverker Sikström
Keyword(s):  
Natural Language Processing ◽  
Natural Language ◽  
Language Processing ◽  
Rating Scales ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Validity And Reliability ◽  
Psychological Constructs ◽  
Numerical Rating

Psychological constructs, such as emotions, thoughts and attitudes are often measured by asking individuals to reply to questions using closed-ended numerical rating scales. However, when asking people about their state of mind in a natural context (“How are you?”), we receive open-ended answers using words (“fine and happy!”) and not closed-ended answers using numbers (“7”) or categories (“A lot”). Nevertheless, to date it has been difficult to objectively quantify responses to open-ended questions. We develop an approach using open-ended questions in which the responses are analyzed using natural language processing (Latent Semantic Analyses). This approach of using open-ended, semantic questions is compared with traditional rating scales in nine studies (N=92-854), including two different study paradigms. The first paradigm requires participants to describe psychological aspects of external stimuli (facial expressions) and the second paradigm involves asking participants to report their subjective well-being and mental health problems. The results demonstrate that the approach using semantic questions yields good statistical properties with competitive, or higher, validity and reliability compared with corresponding numerical rating scales. As these semantic measures are based on natural language and measure, differentiate and describe psychological constructs, they have the potential of complementing and extending traditional rating scales.

Subjective Well-Being and Religiosity in Egyptian College Students

2011 ◽  
Vol 108 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed M. Abdel-Khalek
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Correlation Matrix ◽  
Rating Scales ◽  
Satisfaction With Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Satisfaction With Life Scale ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Present Sample ◽  
Single Item ◽  
Life Scale

A sample of 224 Egyptian college students (101 men, 123 women) was recruited. Their ages ranged from 17 to 29 years ( M = 18.9, SD = 1.5). They responded to the Arabic versions of the Oxford Happiness Inventory, the Love of Life Scale, and the Satisfaction with Life Scale, as well as five separate single-item self-rating scales assessing physical health, mental health, happiness, satisfaction, and religiosity. All correlations between the measures and rating scales of subjective well-being and religiosity were statistically significant and positive, the largest between satisfaction and religiosity. Only one factor was retained in principal components factor analysis of the correlation matrix and labeled “Well-being and religiosity.” It was concluded that religious persons in the present sample reported higher subjective well-being.

Organizational Justice enhances Subjective Well-being

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ms. Anjali Sahai ◽  
Prof. (Dr). Abha Singh
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Justice ◽  
Satisfaction With Life ◽  
Interactional Justice ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Adverse Outcomes ◽  
Satisfaction With Life Scale ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Negative Experience ◽  
Life Scale ◽  
The Relationship

Organizational Justice has the potential to create major impact on organizations and employees alike. These include greater commitment, trust, enhanced job performance, more citizenship behaviors and less number of conflicts. It has been reported that employees seem to have a universal concern for Justice that transcends the self and that many are subject to biases at various point of time in their work life. Sometimes these biases lead to adverse outcomes including decreased level of subjective well-being. Subjective well-being is a broad category that includes life satisfaction, positive affect, and low negative affect, such as anger, sadness and fear. Thus to study the relationship between Organizational justice and subjective well-being, a sample of 88 employees working in Private Universities of NCR region were examined. For this purpose, the Organizational Justice scales consisting of Measure of Procedural & Interactional Justice and Distributive Justice Index scale by Moorman, Blakely & Niehoff (1998) and Subjective Wellbeing Scales inclusive of the Satisfaction with Life Scale(SWLS),Scale of Positive and Negative Experience(SPANE) and Flourishing Scale (FS) by Ed Diener (2004)were used. Results indicate significant relationship between the three types of Organizational justice and subjective well-being of employees.

scholarly journals Early Education Care from Its Practitioners to Achieve Sustainability

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 3396
Author(s):  
Óscar Gavín-Chocano ◽  
David Molero ◽  
Inmaculada García-Martínez
Keyword(s):  
Early Intervention ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Goodness Of Fit ◽  
Satisfaction With Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Satisfaction With Life Scale ◽  
Life Scale ◽  
Fit Index ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Early Intervention Professionals

(1) Background: Early intervention professionals are involved in the reconceptualisation of their service due to the exceptional situation caused by the COVID-19 epidemic, within the family context and aware of the children’s needs, with an impact on their emotional well-being to ensure sustainability. An analysis of their socio–emotional profile and training is increasingly needed to face their professional development effectively; (2) Methods: In this study, 209 early intervention professionals participated (n = 209), with an average age of 37.62 (±9.02). The following instruments were used: Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), Wong Law Emotional Intelligence Scale (WLEIS-S) and the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES-9). The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between early intervention (EI) and engagement as predictors of greater life satisfaction using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). (3) Results: There exists a relationship between some dimensions of the instruments used (p < 0.01). The model obtained good structural validity (χ² = 3.264; Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA) =.021; Goodness-of-Fit Index (GFI) = 0.991; Comparative Goodness of Fit Index (CFI) = 0.999; Incremental Fit Index (IFI) = 0.999). Subsequently, the results described above were verified through Bayesian statistics, thereby reinforcing the evidence provided; (4) Conclusions: Findings highlight the importance of providing professionals with emotional tools and strategies, from the educational context, in order to carry out their activity effectively and ensure the sustainability within the current situation, while remaining fully engaged.

scholarly journals Hubungan Forgiveness dengan Subjective Well-Being pada Remaja di Panti Asuhan

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eka Septarianda ◽  
Mohammad Nursalim Malay ◽  
Khoiriyah Ulfah
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Negative Affect ◽  
Positive Affect ◽  
Satisfaction With Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Satisfaction With Life Scale ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Analysis Technique ◽  
Life Scale ◽  
Three Components

ABSTRACT: RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FORGIVENESS AND SUBJECTIVE WELL BEING AMONG ORPHANAGE ADOLESCENTSThis study aims to determine the relationship between forgiveness and subjective well-being in adolescents who are in the orphanage, through the three components contained in it, i.e. life satisfaction, positive affect and negative affect. The subjects of this study were 58 adolescents in the Budi Mulya Muhammadiyah Sukarame orphanage. Data collection method using three scales, those are Heartland Forgiveness Scale (HFS), Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) and Possitive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS). The data analysis technique used is the product moment correlation. The results of the analysis of this study explain that there is a positive relationship between forgiveness and subjective well-being through the three components in SWB. The results of this study have implications about the importance of forgiveness in increasing subjective well being in orphanage adolescent.Keywords: Forgiveness, Subjective Well-Being, Orphanage AdolescentPenelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui hubungan forgiveness dengan subjective well-being pada remaja yang berada di panti asuhan, melalui tiga komponen yang terdapat di dalamnya, yaitu life satisfaction, positive affect dan negative affect. Subjek penelitian ini adalah 58 remaja panti asuhan Budi Mulya Muhammadiyah Sukarame. Metode pengumpulan data menggunakan tiga skala, yaitu Heartland Forgiveness Scale (HFS), Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) dan Possitive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS). Data dianalisis dengan korelasi product moment. Hasil penelitian ini menerangkan bahwa terdapat hubungan yang positif antara forgiveness dengan subjective well-being melalui tiga komponen dalam SWB. Hasil penelitian ini memberi implikasi tentang pentingnya forgiveness dalam meningkatkan subjective well being pada remaja dipanti asuhan.Kata Kunci: Forgiveness, Subjective Well Being, Remaja Panti Asuhan 

scholarly journals Psychometric properties of the Swedish version of the satisfaction with life scale in a sample of individuals with mental illness

PeerJ ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. e11432
Author(s):  
Danilo Garcia ◽  
Ali Al Nima ◽  
Maryam Kazemitabar ◽  
Clara Amato ◽  
Franco Lucchese ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Illness ◽  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Psychometric Properties ◽  
Satisfaction With Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Satisfaction With Life Scale ◽  
Good Information ◽  
Swedish Version ◽  
Good Reliability ◽  
Life Scale

Background Health assessment among individuals with mental health problems often involves measures of ill-being (e.g., anxiety, depression). Health is, however, defined as a state of physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease (WHO, 1948, 2001). Hence, in order to address mental illness during the 21st century, we need to develop methods for the prevention, identification and treatment of mental illness; but also, for the promotion, identification, and maintenance of well-being. In this context, over three decades of subjective well-being research have resulted in the development of measures of positive aspects of human life, such as the Satisfaction with Life Scale (Diener et al., 1985). Our aim was to investigate the psychometric properties of the Satisfaction with Life Scale in a Swedish population of individuals with mental illness using both Classical Test Theory (CTT) and Item Response Theory (IRT). Method A total of 264 participants (age mean = 43.46, SD = 13.31) diagnosed with different types of mental illness answered to the Swedish version of the Satisfaction with Life Scale (five items, 7-point scale: 1 = strongly disagree, 7 = strongly agree). Results We found positive and significant relationships between the five items of the scale (r ranging from 0.37 to 0.75), good reliability (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.86), and that the one-factor solution had best goodness of fit (loadings between 0.52–0.88, p < 0.001). Additionally, there were no significant differences in comparative fit indexes regarding gender and occupation status. All items had high discrimination values (between 1.95–3.81), but item 5 (“If I could live my life over, I would change almost nothing”); which had a moderate discrimination value (1.17) and the highest estimated difficulty on response 7 (3.06). Moreover, item 2 (“The conditions of my life are excellent”) had less discrimination and redundant difficulty with both item 1 (“In most ways my life is close to my ideal”; 2.03) on response 7 and with item 3 (“I am satisfied with my life”; –1.21) on response 1. The five items together provided good information, with especial good reliability and small standard error within −1.00 up to about 2.00 and the highest amount of test information at 0.00 of the level of life satisfaction within this population. Conclusions Consistent with previous research, the scale had good reliability and provided good information across most of the latent trait range. In addition, within this population, sociodemographic factors such as gender and occupation status do not influence how individuals respond to the items in the scale. However, the items couldn’t measure extreme levels of low/high life satisfaction. We suggest replication of these findings, the test of additional items, and the modification of items 2 and 5 in order to use the scale among individuals with mental illness.

scholarly journals Subjective Well-Being and Its Relation to Academic Performance among Students in Medicine, Dentistry, and Other Health Professions

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 224
Author(s):  
Vijay Kumar Chattu ◽  
Pradeep Kumar Sahu ◽  
Neela Seedial ◽  
Gerlisa Seecharan ◽  
Amanda Seepersad ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Academic Performance ◽  
Satisfaction With Life ◽  
Pearson Correlation ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Satisfaction With Life Scale ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Negative Experience ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Life Scale ◽  
Type Of School

Subjective well-being is defined as a person’s cognitive and affective evaluations of his or her life. This study aims to investigate the differences in the domains of subjective well-being based on gender, type of school, and academic performance. Additionally, the study aimed to determine the factors (socio-demographic variables, including the academic performance of the students) that are predictive of subjective well-being. Subjective well-being was assessed using a questionnaire which included the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), which measured the respondent’s life satisfaction, the Scale of Positive and Negative Experience (SPANE), which consisted of six positive and negative emotions, and, lastly, the Flourishing Scale (FS), which measured the respondents’ self-perceived success. Data were collected, transformed into a linear scale, and exported into SPSS version 24, where t-tests, one-way analysis of variance, Pearson correlation, and stepwise regression were performed. Of the total of 535 participants, the majority were females (383 = 71.6%) and studying in a school of medicine (31.8%). With respect to the SWLS and FS, a significant difference was reported among students based on the type of school and their academic performance (p < 0.05). While comparing the differences in the SPANE, a significant difference was recorded based on academic performance. Among the domains of subjective well-being, only the SPANE showed a significant association with academic performance. Greater subjective well-being correlates with higher academic performance, indicating that subjective well-being is an important aspect of a student’s academic life; provisions can be made by paying more attention to those who showed poor academic performance during and at the end of each semester.

scholarly journals Role of Global Self-Esteem in Predicting Life Satisfaction of Nursing Students in Poland, Spain and Slovakia

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (15) ◽  
pp. 5392
Author(s):  
Ewa Kupcewicz ◽  
Elżbieta Grochans ◽  
Marzena Mikla ◽  
Helena Kadučáková ◽  
Marcin Jóźwik
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Nursing Students ◽  
Satisfaction With Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Satisfaction With Life Scale ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Life Scale ◽  
The Mean

Background: This study analyzed the role of global self-esteem and selected sociodemographic variables in predicting life satisfaction of nursing students in Poland, Spain and Slovakia. Methods: The study subjects were full-time nursing students from three European countries. A diagnostic survey was used as a research method, while the Rosenberg self-esteem scale (SES) and the satisfaction with life scale (SWLS) were used to collect data. Results: The research was performed on a group of 1002 students. The mean age of those surveyed was 21.6 (±3.4). The results showed significant differences both in the level of the global self-esteem index (F = 40.74; p < 0.0001) and in the level of general satisfaction with life (F = 12.71; p < 0.0001). A comparison of the structure of results demonstrated that there were significantly fewer students with high self-esteem in Spain (11.06%) than in Poland (48.27%) and in Slovakia (42.05%), while more students with a high sense of life satisfaction were recorded in Spain (64.90%) than in Poland (37.87%) or in Slovakia (47.44%). A positive, statistically significant correlation was found between global self-esteem and satisfaction with life in the group of Slovak students (r = 0.37; p < 0.0001), Polish students (r = 0.31; p < 0.0001) and Spanish students (r = 0.26; p < 0.0001). Furthermore, a regression analysis proved that three variables explaining a total of 12% output variation were the predictors of life satisfaction in Polish students. The regression factor was positive (ßeta = 0.31; R2 = 0.12), which indicates a positive correlation and the largest share was attributed to global self-esteem (9%). In the group of Spanish students, global self-esteem explained 7% (ßeta = 0.27; R2 = 0.07) of the output variation and 14% in the group of Slovak students (ßeta = 0.38; R2 = 0.14). Conclusions: The global self-esteem demonstrates the predictive power of life satisfaction of nursing students, most clearly marked in the group of Slovak students. The measurement of the variables under consideration may facilitate the planning and implementation of programs aimed at increasing self-esteem among young people and promoting the well-being of nursing students.

The Influence of Life-and-Death Views on the Well-Being of Chinese Tujia Ethnic Adolescents

2020 ◽  
pp. 003022282096123
Author(s):  
Ying Ge ◽  
Jie Luo ◽  
Jay L. Wenger ◽  
Hai-yan Xiang
Keyword(s):  
Meaning In Life ◽  
Satisfaction With Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Satisfaction With Life Scale ◽  
Life Questionnaire ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Life And Death ◽  
Life Scale ◽  
Meaning In Life Questionnaire ◽  
Different Cultures

The purpose of this study was to evaluate how a person’s view of life and death might influence various aspects of well-being. Similar studies have been conducted with adolescents in different cultures, but not with Chinese Tujia ethnic adolescents. Tujia adolescents ( N = 309) completed the Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ), the Death Attitude Profile (DAP), the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) and the Happiness Inventory (HI). Results indicated that Chinese Tujia ethnic adolescents maintain a relatively positive life-and-death view and overall well-being. Meaning in life and death attitude both corresponded with overall well-being. A dominance analysis indicated that meaning in life can predict the well-being of a person better than a death attitude. Limitations and future directions are discussed.

scholarly journals Association between Subjective Well-Being and Frequent Dental Visits in the German Ageing Survey

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (9) ◽  
pp. 3207 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richelle Valdez ◽  
Ghazal Aarabi ◽  
Kristin Spinler ◽  
Carolin Walther ◽  
Udo Seedorf ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Negative Affect ◽  
Service Use ◽  
Satisfaction With Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Dental Service ◽  
Satisfaction With Life Scale ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Dental Services ◽  
Dental Visits ◽  
Life Scale

The relationship between subjective well-being (SWB) and frequent attendance is understudied. This study used data from a large German sample of non-institutionalized individuals aged 40+ in 2014 (n = 7264). SWB was measured using the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) and the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS). Number of self-reported dental visits in the past twelve months was used to measure the utilization frequency of dental services. Individuals with at least four dental visits in the preceding year (highest decile) were defined as frequent dental visits. Robustness checks were performed using alternative cut-offs to define frequent dental visits. Multiple logistic regressions showed that frequent dental visits (highest decile) were associated with less satisfaction with life [OR: 0.89, 95%-CI: 0.80–0.99] and higher negative affect [OR: 1.41, 95%-CI: 1.22–1.64], whereas it was not significantly associated with positive affect. Both associations depended on the cut-off chosen to define frequent dental visits. The present study highlights the association between SWB (particularly negative affect and low life satisfaction) and frequent dental visits. Further studies evaluating patients’ motivation for high dental service use are necessary to check the robustness of our findings.

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