Validation of the Scale of Positive and Negative Experience in a South African student sample

This study investigated the validity of the Scale of Positive and Negative Experience in a South Africa context using a sample of 992 university students. Item fit and unidimensionality of the Positive and Negative Experience subscales were examined using a process of Rasch analysis. Reliability of the subscales was evaluated, and correlations between the Scale of Positive and Negative Experience, the Mental Health Continuum – Short Form, and the Satisfaction with Life Scale were examined. In general, the Scale of Positive and Negative Experience exhibited good Rasch fit and reliability. However, there were two items, one from each Positive and Negative Experience subscales, respectively, that exhibited some problems with Rasch fit. While the substantive effect of these problematic items on reliability was marginal, their identification as problematic corroborated analysis in another study, enjoining, if not their removal, certainly a direction for future research. Overall, the findings serve to both support the notion that in its present form, the Scale of Positive and Negative Experience is a psychometrically sound instrument to measure positive and negative experiences as a facet of well-being among South African university students and to indicate directions for further research on the scale.

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