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Use of Other-Reports to Validate Subjective Well-Being Measures

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Abstract

Level of agreement between self-reports and other-reports obtained from a large two-wave study of older adults was examined. Various measures of subjective well-being (affect, happiness, and life satisfaction) and behavioral manifestations (smoking and sleep quality) were assessed. Results indicate that the SWB measures were highly stable over a 9-month period, and that good agreement between the self- and other-reports was found for the SWB measures. In addition, SWB was related to behavioral manifestations and that these ratings were corroborated through the other-reports. This study furthers the support for the reliability of SWB over time and advances the criterion validity of SWB measures through use of collateral assessments.

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Lepper, H.S. Use of Other-Reports to Validate Subjective Well-Being Measures. Social Indicators Research 44, 367–379 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006872027638

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