Validation of the Social Well-Being Measure

Abstract

The Social Well-Being scale, a subjective measurement of social fulfillment, has very little research on its validity (Gallagher, Lopez, & Preacher, 2009; Keyes, 1998). This study utilized the Midlife in the United States 2 (MIDUS II) survey to measure its construct validity through comparisons with other social constructs that have been shown to positively correlate with other well-being measures and should positively correlate with social well-being. Specifically, many studies have shown that social support, seeking social support, and self-construal correlate highly with subjective well-being and psychological well-being (e.g., Moody & Carducci, 2011; Ross, Lutz, & Lakey, 1999). A Reliability analysis found internal consistency in the Social Well-Being measure. Correlational analysis found that Social Well-Being scores significantly, but weakly, positively correlated with family social support, friend social support, seeking social support, and interdependent self-construal scores. Social Well-Being scores negatively correlated with independent self-construal scores. All correlation coefficients were low, which put into question the validity of the measure. Interpretation of findings will be discussed.