Psychometric and Gender Invariance Analysis of the Flourishing Scale in the Malaysian Context

Abstract

The Flourishing Scale is a new scale designed to measure psychological well–being. FS has been translated into more than 10 languages (e.g., Portuguese, Russian, Turki, Spanish, Egyptian, French, Chinses, Japanese, Malay, Urdu, and Persian). The psychometric analysis of the Flourishing Scale has not been explored in the Malaysian context. The aims of the current study were to examine the factor structure, reliability, concurrent validity (correlate with Satisfaction with Life Scale [SWLS] and Life Project Reflexivity Scale [LPRS]) of the Flourishing Scale (FS). The EFA was conducted to explore the factor structure of FS in the Malaysian context. Then, CFA was run to test the model fit of the FS in the Malaysian context. Test of measurement invariance was also conducted to ascertain the generalizability of the factor structure of FS across gender groups. A cross-sectional survey with 663 university students (435 female students and 228 male students) from a public university in Sabah, Malaysia was conducted. The EFA results revealed a single factor solution with a total explained variance of 68.31%. The CFA result also revealed a one-factor structure with all eight items loaded in one factor. The multi-group analysis of this model demonstrated invariance by gender. FS also demonstrated high reliability and good concurrent validity. The FS was positively and significantly correlated with Satisfaction with Life Scale scores, Life Project Reflexivity Scale score and its subscale. The results supported FS appears to be a valid measure of a flourishing state, and its utilities in the Malaysian context is proven, including gender comparisons.

The Flourishing Scale: Psychometric Properties in Breast Cancer Patients

“…Conversely, FS scores showed a moderate negative correlation with negative affect, and strong and negative associations with depression, anxiety, stress, and general psychological distress. These results are likewise consistent with previous studies 15 - 23 , 25 , 26 , 29 , 31 - 36 and suggest that breast cancer patients with a higher level of flourishing tend to feel more satisfied with their lives in general, experience a greater sense of happiness and pleasure in life, cope better with adversity, value themselves more, and see the future with more hope. In addition, these women also show better psychological adjustment, expressing less general discomfort and generally feeling less irritable, anxious, sad or despondent.…”

“…Regarding the reliability of FS scores, values of McDonald’s omega and Cronbach’s alpha (both .91) indicated that this was adequate, in line with previous research. 23 , 24 , 29 , 33 , 34 , 36 In general, the results show that the FS is a unidimensional measure of flourishing with satisfactory reliability in which high scores reflect a greater sense of competence, self-acceptance, optimism, and a greater contribution to the well-being of others.…”

“…In general, the aforementioned studies have replicated the single-factor structure proposed by Diener et al, 3 and most of them report a reliability coefficient above .80, 16 , 17 , 19 - 27 , 29 - 34 , 36 which is considered a good indicator of score reliability. 37 In terms of validity evidence based on relationships with other variables, scores on the FS have been found to correlate positively with scores on satisfaction with life, 15 , 16 , 18 , 20 - 23 , 25 , 26 , 29 , 31 - 36 positive affect, 16 , 19 , 32 , 35 optimism, 16 , 19 , 22 , 34 , 35 self-esteem, 20 and resilience. 22 , 34 Conversely, a negative correlation has been observed between scores on the FS and those on measures of negative affect, 16 , 19 , 32 ...…”

“…As mentioned above, the FS has been widely used around the world, and psychometric studies of the scale have been conducted in numerous languages and geographic regions: Europe, 15 - 22 Africa, 23 Asia, 24 - 31 North America, 32 - 34 Latin America, 35 and New Zealand. 36 These studies have been performed with different populations, including adolescents, 26 , 30 young people, 15 , 17 , 19 , 23 , 28 , 29 , 32 adults, 16 , 20 - 22 , 24 , 31 , 35 , 36 and older adults. 25 , 27 …”

Flourishing in Education: Psychometric Properties of the Flourishing Scale in a Sample of Romanian Teachers

“…Sci. 2024, 14, 366 2 of 12 scale was validated on various samples, especially teenagers [10,11] and students [12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20]. To our knowledge, the scale has not been validated in the Romanian language.…”