The validation of the Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (SWEMWBS) with Deaf British Sign Language users in the UK

Abstract

BackgroundThere is no validated measure of positive mental well-being that is suitable for Deaf people who use a signed language such as British Sign Language (BSL). This impedes inclusion of this population in a range of research designed to evaluate effectiveness of interventions. The study aims were: (i) to translate the original English version of SWEMWBS into BSL and to test the SWEMWBS BSL with the Deaf population in the UK who use BSL; (ii) to examine its psychometric properties; and (iii) to establish the validity and reliability of the SWEMWBS BSL.MethodsThe SWEMWBS was translated into BSL following a six stage translation procedure and in consultation with the originators. The draft version was piloted with Deaf BSL users (n = 96) who also completed the CORE-OM BSL well-being subscale and the EQ-5D VAS BSL. Reliability was explored using Cronbach’s alpha for internal consistency and ICC for test-retest reliability. Validity was explored by using Kendall’s tau correction for convergent validity and an exploratory factor analysis for construct validity.ResultsThe internal consistency for the reliability of the SWEMWBS BSL was found to be good and the test-retest one week apart showed an acceptable reliability. There was good convergent validity of the SWEMWBS BSL with the well-being subscale of the CORE-OM BSL and the EQ-5D VAS BSL.ConclusionsThe SWEMWBS BSL can be used with a Deaf population of BSL users. This is the first validated version of a BSL instrument that focuses solely on positively phrased questions for measuring mental well-being.

The reliability and validity of the Chinese Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale in the general population of Hong Kong

“…This item was not included in the 7-item short WEMWBS (SWEMWBS), and the latter is more preferable for monitoring mental well-being in large-scale population studies given its robust measurement properties and brevity [13,14]. The SWEMWBS has been validated in deaf British sign language users [15], Norwegian and Swedish adults [16], Norwegian adolescents [17], people with schizophrenia, depression and anxiety spectrum disorders in Singapore [18], and hospitalized patients with mental illness in Hong Kong [19]. The SWEMWBS was developed to support mental health promotion programs and has the advantage of a low ceiling effect in population samples.…”

“…However, the validity and reliability of the SWEMWBS in the general population of Hong Kong is unknown. Previous studies have identified that the SWEMWBS items can be loaded on one factor using a principal component analysis [15][16][17]19] and confirmatory factor analysis [16][17][18]. A confirmatory factor analysis is typically used in scale development [20], but it has yet to be conducted for the Chinese version of the SWEMWBS.…”

Factor structure and psychometric properties of a Polish adaptation of the Warwick–Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale

“…Despite the good psychometric properties of the WEMWBS, recent literature has indicated some problems related to the items' hierarchy and the existence of gender-biased questions [27]. In response, a shortened version of the WEMWBS (called the SWEMWBS) has been proposed and validated [20,26,[28][29][30][31]. Fung [32] has demonstrated that the SWEMWBS possesses better construct validity than the full version of the WEM-WBS and thus the purpose of our next study will be to create a Polish version of the SWEWBS.…”

The challenges and facilitators to successful translation and adaptation of written self-report psychological measures into sign languages: A systematic review.

“…Aanondsen et al, 2019;Andrade et al, 2019;Berke et al, 2019;Chaveiro et al, 2013;Jones et al, 2006;Montoya et al, 2004;Moore et al, 2013;Pardo-Guijarro et al, 2013;Roberts et al, 2015; Rogers et al, 2013a Rogers et al, , 2013bRogers et al, , 2014Samady et al, 2008. 3 Berman et al, 2000Brauer, 1993;Cornes et al, 2006;Cornes and Brown, 2012;Crowe, 2002; Fellinger et al, 2005; Glickman and Carey, 1993; Graybill et al, 2010;Levinger and Ronen, 2008;Rogers et al, 2016Rogers et al, , 2018Smith and Samar, 2016;Tweney and Hoemann, 1973; Wahlqvist et al, 2016. 4 For challenges and facilitators to translation/adaptation,Rogers et al (2018) signposts readers toRogers et al (2013b).…”

“…3 Berman et al, 2000Brauer, 1993;Cornes et al, 2006;Cornes and Brown, 2012;Crowe, 2002; Fellinger et al, 2005; Glickman and Carey, 1993; Graybill et al, 2010;Levinger and Ronen, 2008;Rogers et al, 2016Rogers et al, , 2018Smith and Samar, 2016;Tweney and Hoemann, 1973; Wahlqvist et al, 2016. 4 For challenges and facilitators to translation/adaptation,Rogers et al (2018) signposts readers toRogers et al (2013b).…”