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Measurement Invariance of Ryff’s Psychological Well-being Scales Across Italian and Belarusian Students

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Abstract

Cross-cultural researches on the Ryff’s Psychological Well-being (PWB) Scales are currently not available. The aim of the paper was to investigate the measurement invariance of the 18-item version of the PWB Scales across 1,114 high school and undergraduate Italian and Belarusian students. After identifying the six correlated first-order factors and one second-order factor model of the Ryff’s PWB Scales, as baseline model for each sample, multi-groups confirmatory factor analyses were subsequently performed. All analyses were performed using the Robust Diagonally Weighted Least Squares estimation procedures, entering a polychoric correlation matrix. Multi-groups analyses showed that factor structure of the preferred model did not change across the Italian and Belarusian samples. Although the obtained results provided a preliminary support for cross-cultural structural invariance of the PWB Scales, further investigations are required to ensure its generalizability and applicability. Limitations and suggestions for future researches as well as psychosocial applications for educational context were discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cognitive and Clinical Psychology Laboratory, European University of Rome, Via degli Aldobrandeschi, 190, 00163, Rome, Italy

    Saulo Sirigatti, Ilaria Penzo & Luca Iani

  2. Institute of Education, University of London, 20 Bedford Way, London, WC1H 0AL, UK

    Annamaria Mazzeschi

  3. Francisk Skorina Gomel State University, Sovetskaya str., 104, 246019, Homyel’, Belarus

    Halina Hatalskaja

  4. Department of Psychology, University of Florence, Via di San Salvi, 12, Padiglione 26, 50135, Florence, Italy

    Enrichetta Giannetti & Cristina Stefanile

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  1. Saulo Sirigatti
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  2. Ilaria Penzo
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  3. Luca Iani
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  4. Annamaria Mazzeschi
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Correspondence to Luca Iani.

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Sirigatti, S., Penzo, I., Iani, L. et al. Measurement Invariance of Ryff’s Psychological Well-being Scales Across Italian and Belarusian Students. Soc Indic Res 113, 67–80 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-012-0082-0

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