Assessing Facets of Mindfulness in the Context of Work: The Mindfulness@Work Scale as a Work-Specific,Multidimensional Measure of Mindfulness

The mindfulness at work literature lacks a multi-faceted measure of mindfulness that is applicable in the work context. Building on predominantly clinically oriented, multi-faceted mindfulness measures, we aimed to develop and validate such a measure and to provide first insights into differential validities of mindfulness subfacets for work outcomes. Data from seven work samples (overall n = 4,977) provided support that (a) a 4-factor structure representing the subfacets of Describing, Nonreactivity, Nonjudging, and Act with Awareness replicates across samples; (b) subfacets and overall scale have good internal consistency and retest reliability; (c) the measure demonstrates convergent and discriminant validity; (d) it demonstrates criterion-related validity for well-being, motivational, and interpersonal work outcomes; (e) the Mindfulness@Work Scale explains variance in outcome variables above a unidimensional measures of mindfulness supporting its incremental validity. Furthermore, relative weights and incremental validity analyses revealed differential validities of subfacets of the Mindfulness@Work Scale in relation to positive psychological states versus psychological distress. Overall, findings suggest that the Mindfulness@Work Scale has good psychometric properties and that a differentiation of subfacets provides novel insights into the role of mindfulness for work outcomes.     

Seeing the unseen: ostracism interventionary behaviour and its impact on employees

This article outlines the development and validation of the ostracism interventionary behaviour (OIB) scale. Based on in-depth interviews with employees, leaders, and content experts in addition to 603 survey respondents from Canada and the United States, 3 dimensions emerged to describe the ways in which leaders confront workplace ostracism-related cues and a measure was created to assess them. These refer to the ability for leaders to foster an inclusive workgroup dynamic and enact effective third-party interpersonal interventions through displays of (1) social awareness, (2) proactivity, and (3) harmony-seeking behaviour. In addition to possessing convergent and discriminant validity, the OIB scale demonstrated criterion-related validity through its relation with perceived workplace ostracism and well-being. Furthermore, evidence supported the scale’s test–retest reliability and predictive validity over and above leader–member exchange. Overall, the measure was found to be both reliable and valid, with important implications for the effective management of instances of ostracism at work.     

Development and Validation of the Performance Management Behavior Questionnaire

This study integrates literature on performance management and organizational behavior with input from managers to develop a 27‐item measure of performance management behavior. We used 8 samples, including multisource data, to develop a reliable multidimensional scale that replicated across samples. The scale demonstrated content validity, both convergent and discriminant validity, and incremental validity, and criterion‐related validity was established through the scale's relation with measures of management effectiveness and job attitudes. Overall, this study suggests that the Performance Management Behavior Questionnaire (PMBQ) is a reliable and valid measure and that performance management behaviors have important implications for both employees and organizations.     

The Satisfaction with Job Life Scale Among Immigrants

This article reports the development of a short multi-item measurement scale of satisfaction with job life (SWJLS). This scale evaluates a person’s global assessment of job satisfaction. Two studies are presented for the purpose of establishing the reliability and validity of the SWJLS. The data were gathered among immigrants. The findings of both studies demonstrated that the SWJLS presents adequate psychometric properties. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses of the SWJLS evidenced a single underlying dimension. The reliability was highly satisfactory. Corroboration of validity was also yielded between correlations among indicators of well-being and acculturation, and scale scores. The results indicate that the SWJLS is a short and viable instrument to measure job life satisfaction.     

Cortisol Awakening Response as an Index of Mental Health and Well-Being in Adolescents

Physiological measures provide a useful complement to self-report indices of mental health and well-being. The cortisol awakening response (CAR) has been associated with mental distress, but less consistently so with positive functioning. In this study, the utility of two CAR indices as a measure of the full spectrum of mental health and well-being in a sample of healthy adolescents was explored. Forty-seven adolescents (14M, 33F; mean age 13.89, SD = .73) completed questionnaires on mental distress and positive functioning, and provided three saliva samples for cortisol analysis as well as demographic and life event information. Correlational analyses revealed that both absolute CAR (CARi) and area under the curve during awakening (CAR_AUC) indices correlated positively with measures of mental distress, and inversely with measures of positive functioning. When the significant life events score was controlled, moderate to strong effects were maintained with negative and positive affect, mental well-being, satisfaction with life and perceived social support from significant others. These findings provide the first data confirming that CAR is a reliable index of positive functioning in healthy adolescents.     

Psychometric evaluation of the satisfaction with life scale in Togo: A three-step approach

IntroductionThe Satisfaction with life scale (SWLS) developed by Diener, Emmons, Larsen, and Griffin (1985) is considered the most widely used psychometric scale for assessing life satisfaction. Despite plethora of cross-cultural research that provided evidences of its robustness, none was conducted in French-speaking sub-Saharan countries such as Togo.ObjectiveAccordingly, the purpose of the present study was to investigate the validity of the SWLS extensively among Togolese college students (n = 460) in a three-step approach from 2012 to 2014.Method and resultsFirstly, social representations of well-being were explored qualitatively. Then, the original version of the SWLS was administered. Based on the results we gathered, a scale item was altered. Psychometric properties of the revised version of the SWLS were examined, revealing adequate construct validity, reliability, temporal stability, measurement invariance across gender, convergent validity with a single measure of life satisfaction, and discriminant validity with various life domain satisfactions.ConclusionLimitations and implications in life satisfaction measurement are also discussed with regards to the Togolese cultural context.     

Development and Validation of an Explicit Aggressive Beliefs and Attitudes Scale

This work outlines the development and validation of a new self-report measure that assesses explicit aggressive beliefs and attitudes within the normal adult population (using 7 samples, total N = 3,533). These explicit aggressive beliefs and attitudes are expected to reflect aggressive biases including hostile attribution, potency, retribution, victimization by powerful others, derogation of target, and social discounting. The resulting scale is reliable with a hierarchical 6-factor structure, and displays convergent and discriminant validity. Criterion-related validity studies indicate incremental effects over socially desirable response bias, related implicit and explicit aggression measures, and is predictive of self-reported and other-reported aggression-related behaviors.     

Further validation of the Satisfaction with Life Scale: evidence for the cross-method convergence of well-being measures

The structure of subjective well-being has been conceptualized as consisting of two major components: the emotional or affective component and the judgmental or cognitive component (Diener, 1984; Veenhoven, 1984). The judgmental component has also been conceptualized as life satisfaction (Andrews & Withey, 1976). Although the affective component of subjective well-being has received considerable attention from researchers, the judgmental component has been relatively neglected. The Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS; Diener, Emmons, Larsen, & Griffin, 1985) was developed as a measure of the judgmental component of subjective well-being (SWB). Two studied designed to validate further the SWLS are reported. Peer reports, a memory measure, and clinical ratings are used as external criteria for validation. Evidence for the reliability and predictive validity of the SWLS is presented, and its performance is compared to other related scales. The SWLS is shown to be a valid and reliable measure of life satisfaction, suited for use with a wide range of age groups and applications, which makes possible the savings of interview time and resources compared to many measures of life satisfaction. In addition, the high convergence of self- and peer-reported measures of subjective well-being and life satisfaction provide strong evidence that subjective well-being is a relatively global and stable phenomenon, not simply a momentary judgment based on fleeting influences.     

Further Validation of the Satisfaction With Life Scale: Evidence for the Cross-Method Convergence of Well-Being Measures

The structure of subjective well-being has been conceptualized as consisting of two major components: the emotional or affective component and the judgmental or cognitive component (Diener, 1984; Veenhoven, 1984). The judgmental component has also been conceptualized as life satisfaction (Andrews & Withey, 1976). Although the affective component of subjective well-being has received considerable attention from researchers, the judgmental component has been relatively neglected. The Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS; Diener, Emmnos, Larsen, & Griffin, 1985) was developed as a measure of the judgmental component of subjective well-being (SWB). Two studies designed to validate further the SWLS are reported. Peer reports, a memory measure, and clinical ratings are used as external criteria for validation. Evidence for the reliability and predictive validity of the SWLS is presented, and its performance is compared to other related scales. The SWLS is shown to be a valid and reliable measure of life satisfaction, suited for use with a wide range of age groups and applications, which makes possible the savings of interview time and resources compared to many measures of life satisfaction. In addition, the high convergence of self- and peer-reported measures of subjective well-being and life satisfaction provide strong evidence that subjective well-being is a relatively global and stable phenomenon, not simply a momentary judgment based on fleeting influences.     

An Examination of Concurrent and Incremental Validity of Four Mindfulness Scales

General consensus among psychologists supports the beneficial effects of mindfulness in the treatment of a wide range of clinical conditions such as personality, mood, and anxiety disorders. Several scales used to assess this psychological construct, mainly rooted in Eastern traditions, are currently available to researchers and clinicians. However, the conceptualization and measurement of mindfulness has been considerably diverse. The present study examines the concurrent and incremental validity of four scales: the Philadelphia Mindfulness Scale (PHLMS), the Toronto Mindfulness Scale (TMS), the Five-Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), and the Langer Mindfulness Scale (LMS). Two independent samples of 176 adults and 397 students, respectively, were recruited. With few exceptions, results were consistent across the two samples and indicated that measures based on an Eastern conceptualization of mindfulness (TMS, PHLMS, and FFMQ) show a different pattern of association with the chosen outcomes compared to the LMS, which is based on a Western conceptualization. Overall, the PHLMS showed the strongest predictive effects and the LMS the weakest in terms of both number of predicted criteria and average effect size. Implications for research and practice are discussed.     

The Satisfaction With Life Scale

This article reports the development and validation of a scale to measure global life satisfaction, the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS). Among the various components of subjective well-being, the SWLS is narrowly focused to assess global life satisfaction and does not tap related constructs such as positive affect or loneliness. The SWLS is shown to have favorable psychometric properties, including high internal consistency and high temporal reliability. Scores on the SWLS correlate moderately to highly with other measures of subjective well-being, and correlate predictably with specific personality characteristics. It is noted that the SWLS is Suited for use with different age groups, and other potential uses of the scale are discussed.     

Direct versus Indirect Well-Being Measures: Using Partially Structured Stimuli to Evaluate Well-Being

Given the important limitations of direct (explicit) measures, the study of indirect (implicit) measures of psychological constructs has received increased attention of social researchers. However, in the field of well-being the measures that have traditionally been used have tried to capture people’s well-being in an explicit and direct way, with some exceptions that are based mainly on adaptations of the Implicit Association Test (IAT). Given the critics that the IAT has received, the first aim of the present research was to develop a new life satisfaction measure using partially structured stimuli (PSWBS). The second goal was to examine the relation between direct and indirect well-being measures. In the first study, PSWBS showed good internal consistency, test–retest reliability and construct validity. Factorial analyses indicated that this measure acted as an indirect measure. In addition, direct and indirect well-being showed a significant but weak relation. To explain this result, in a second study we analyzed the moderating role of social comparison orientation on the relation between direct and indirect well-being measures. As expected, more social comparison tendency implied a stronger relation. In a third study we analyzed the criterion validity of both kind of measures. The PSWBS, the Personal Wellbeing Index-Adults and the Satisfaction With Life Scale significantly correlated with a criterion validity coefficient in terms of a semi-structured interview made by an external experimenter. Finally, in a fourth experiment we analyzed the influence of social desirability on direct and indirect measures of well-being. In contexts of high desirability, partially structured stimuli seemed to be more resistant to response factors (e.g., control of impressions) than traditional direct measures.

     

Relationships Between Dysfunctional Beliefs and Positive and Negative Indices of Well-Being: A Critical Evaluation of the Common Beliefs Survey-III

The Common Beliefs Survey-III is a factored measure of dysfunctional beliefs and has generally shown satisfactory convergent validity and test–retest reliability [(2001) Journal of Rational-Emotive and Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, 19(2), 89–103). We sought to further establish the utility of the measure by examining the extent the dysfunctional belief subscales related to a wide variety of positive and negative indices of well-being, after controlling for a potential confound, namely, social desirability. Four hundred and fifty-seven university students completed questionnaires that assessed six dimensions of dysfunctional belief, seven negative indices of well-being (depression, anxiety, stress, guilt, hostility, hopelessness, suicidal thinking), three positive indices of well-being (life satisfaction, joviality, state self-assurance), and social desirability. Analyses revealed that lower well-being was associated with (1) beliefs that self-worth is dependent on success, (2) beliefs that self-worth is dependent on approval, (3) demanding beliefs that reflect unrealistically high expectations for events and individuals. Belief variables predicted 14% of the variance in the negative indices but only 7.3% in the positive indices. Stepwise regression revealed that the optimal set of belief predictors depended on the type of well-being predicted. These findings have implications for both theory and practice.     

Validation of an italian version of the oxford happiness inventory in adolescence

An Italian adaptation of the Oxford Happiness Inventory was administered to 782 adolescents. Exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) was used to examine the first- and second-order factorial structure of the scale and its invariance across gender; internal consistency and construct validity were also investigated. ESEM underlined a 5-factor structure (mastery and self-fulfillment, satisfaction with life, vigor, social interest, and social cheerfulness) that measures positive psychological functioning. These dimensions form a single latent construct of general psychological well-being. The scale showed adequate internal consistency values and strong measurement invariance across gender. Finally, regarding convergent validity, both total scale and subscales were positively correlated with extraversion and self-esteem, were negatively correlated with neuroticism, and displayed no correlation with psychoticism.     

Male body satisfaction: factorial and construct validity of the Body Parts Satisfaction Scale for Men

Given the centrality of body dissatisfaction in the manifestation of eating, exercise, and affective disturbances in men, measurement of this construct becomes essential. Across 2 studies with male undergraduates (Ns = 189 and 188), the psychometric properties, including incremental validity and factor structure, of the 25-item Body Parts Satisfaction Scale for Men (BPSS-M) were examined. Three factors--Upper Body, Legs, and Face--that included items measuring both muscularity and leanness were established. The factors were internally consistent and temporally stable (over 6 months), and support was found for their convergent, discriminant, and concurrent validity. Further, we established that, after controlling for social desirability and drive for muscularity, body satisfaction contributes uniquely to men's experience of disordered eating, negative affect and mood, and psychological well-being. The BPSS-M yielded reliable and valid scores with undergraduate men, suggesting that it may be useful for understanding not only body satisfaction but disordered eating and affective disturbances as well.     

社会支持与主观幸福感关系的元分析

研究目的是探讨基于社会支持评定量表的社会支持与主观幸福感的相关,并探讨影响二者关系的研究特征.纳入元分析86篇原始研究,产生了89个独立样本,样本总量为32948.结果显示,主观支持、客观支持和支持利用度,与主观幸福感总体、生活满意度、积极情感之间存在中等程度的显著正相关,与消极情感之间呈中等程度的显著负相关.二者之间的相关受被试群体类型的调节,即在不同被试群体中二者的相关大小不同.     

Psychometric Evaluation of the Japanese Version of the Elder Life Adjustment Interview Schedule for Depression

The Elder Life Adjustment Interview Schedule (ELAIS) was developed as an age- and culture-sensitive assessment device for depression and 9 environmental, behavioral, and health correlates (Schlatter et al., 1993, J. MARC Res. 1: 27–42). The psychometric adequacy of the ELAIS has been demonstrated with samples of elder Americans of Asian, Caucasian, and Native Hawaiian ancestry (Dubanoski et al., 1996, J. Clin. Gerospsychol. 2: 247–262). This study reports on the reliability and construct validity of a translated Japanese version. Participants were 55 community-dwelling elders living in the areas surrounding Maebashi, Japan. The ELAIS contains 14 scales of which 9 represent theoretical predictors of depression. The 2 Environmental Condition scales measure life events and social support. The 4 Behavioral Competency scales measure recreational activity, assertiveness, self-reinforcement, and perceived control. The 3 Health Factor scales measure perceived health, functional ability, and objective health. The 5 Other scales measure demographics, depression, life satisfaction, cognitive functioning, and response style. Results yielded acceptable internal consistency and stability reliability coefficients for all but 1 of the subscales on the ELAIS (informational social support). Construct validity support was found for the Depression scale and 6 theoretical predictors, including life events, recreational activity, assertiveness, self-reinforcement, functional ability, and objective health. Treatment and prevention implications for the cross-ethnic multivariate assessment of depression among elders are discussed.     

Mindfulness and Marital Satisfaction

This study investigated the relationships among mindfulness, marital satisfaction, and perceived spousal similarity. All 95 subjects responded to a questionnaire measuring each of these variables, and an additional series of demographic variables. A significant positive relationship was found between mindfulness and marital satisfaction, with no statistically significant relationship found between perceived spousal similarity and marital satisfaction. There was a stronger correlation between mindfulness and marital satisfaction than the correlation between marital satisfaction and any of the other variables, including similarity. These results carry meaningful implications for the role of mindfulness techniques within the context of building and maintaining happy marital relationships and general well-being.     

Predictive validity of explicit and implicit self-esteem for subjective well-being

In recent years, researchers have developed a variety of techniques to measure implicit self-esteem. Bosson, Swann, and Pennebaker (2000) examined the reliability and validity of these measures. Only some implicit measures were reliable, and even these measures failed to show convergent and predictive validity. In contrast, explicit self-esteem predicted subjective well-being (SWB). However, the predictive validity of explicit self-esteem measures may have been inflated because SWB was assessed by means of self-reports. The present article addresses this concern. We correlated self-reports and informant reports of subjective well-being with an explicit (Rosenberg’s self-esteem scale) and an implicit measure of self-esteem (preferences for initials). Explicit self-esteem was a significant predictor of all SWB measures. Preferences for initials were not significantly correlated with any of the SWB measures.     

Spirituality and Subjective Well-Being: Evidences for a New Domain in the Personal Well-Being Index

Subjective well-being explores the evaluations, both positive and negative, of how people experience their lives. Research in the field inquires how people perceive their well-being in different settings, including different cultures, regions and cities. A large number of different measures have been designed to capture subjective well-being. One of the most used SWB measure is the Personal Well-being Index (PWI), an evaluation of life developed by Cummins et al [(2003). Social Indicators Research, 64, 159–190] which proposes that satisfaction with life consists of seven different life-domains. Theoretical considerations of the contribution of spirituality and religiosity to life satisfaction, from a eudaimonic (from the Greek, it consists of the word "eu" (good or well-being) and the word “daemon” (spirit)) point of view, led to test the contribution of this new domain in the prediction of the Personal Well-being Index (PWI) in Bogotá, Colombia. Empirical results confirm the construct validity and reliability of the scale. The contribution of the new domain—satisfaction with spirituality and religiosity—to PWI was found significant. Based on these results the paper explores conceptually the role of spirituality contributing to satisfaction with life. The finding stresses the importance of interpreting satisfaction with life as a whole from the Aristotelian concept of eudaimonia. New questions for research in this important area are proposed