The self-reported well-being of children in Namibia: Testing hedonic and eudaimonic instruments

Abstract

Although research on hedonic and eudaimonic children’s well-being is growing, these constructs need to be understood within the African context. In this study we validated two psychometric scales with 10 and 12-year-old children (n = 2 035) in the Namibian setting: the Children’s Worlds Subjective Well-being Scale (CW-SWBS, measuring subjective well-being) and the Children’s Worlds Psychological Well-being Scale (CW-PSWBS, measuring psychological well-being). We tested the fit of each scale within the pooled sample as well as scalar invariance between boys’ and girls’ answers, as well as between age-groups. Results support a good fit and convergent validity for both scales with the pooled sample. Sex invariance was supported for the CW-SWBS. However, the comparability of the answering style of boys and girls at 12 years old was not supported for the CW-PSWBS. Therefore, these findings suggest a need for caution when using CW-PSWBS scores with early adolescents in the Namibian context.