AUTHOR=Gaines Stanley O. , Otermans Pauldy , Spanoudaki Maria , Aditya Dev , Chirenda Netsai 

TITLE=Measuring relational wellbeing: construct validity in pre-COVID-Era UK; generalizability across COVID-lockdown-Era India, Greece, and UK

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology

VOLUME=15

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1342991

DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1342991

ISSN=1664-1078

ABSTRACT=<sec id="sec1"><title>Aim</title><p>In the present studies, we examine the construct validity and criterion-related validity of a previously unpublished, eight-item measure of relational wellbeing.</p></sec><sec id="sec2"><title>Methods</title><p>First, in two pre-COVID-Era pilot studies within the UK (<italic>n</italic>’s = 207 and 146, respectively), results of exploratory factor analyses revealed that—with the possible exception of one item regarding close relationships—the items assessed individual differences along a single dimension (i.e., relational wellbeing), rather than two distinct dimensions (i.e., social connections and close relationships). Second, in an initial pre-COVID-Era main study within the UK (<italic>n</italic> = 192), results of confirmatory factor analyses provided support for the hypothesized one-dimensional factor pattern, although the same problematic item from the pilot studies continued to under-perform relative to the other seven items.</p></sec><sec id="sec3"><title>Findings</title><p>In a subsequent COVID-Lockdown-Era main study across India (<italic>n</italic> = 205), Greece (<italic>n</italic> = 354), and the UK (<italic>n</italic> = 390), results of confirmatory factor analyses established that—after omitting the same problematic item that had surfaced in the preceding studies—a one-dimensional factor pattern provided equally satisfactory fit for the three samples.</p></sec><sec id="sec4"><title>Original value</title><p>Although we had not set out to test <italic>a priori</italic> hypotheses regarding mean similarities or differences in relational wellbeing among our COVID-Lockdown-Era studies, results of an analysis of variance revealed that persons within the UK scored significantly lower in relational wellbeing than did persons in India or Greece.</p></sec><sec id="sec5"><title>Limitations</title><p>As noted above, one particular item repeatedly performed poorly in factor analyses; this item ideally should be dropped from the relational wellbeing scale in future research.</p></sec>