title: Validation of the Flourishing Scale in a sample of people with suboptimal levels of mental well-being.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There is growing interest in measuring the eudaimonic perspective of mental well-being (social and psychological well-being) alongside existing measures of the hedonic perspective of mental well-being (subjective well-being). The Flourishing Scale (FS) assesses core aspects of social-psychological functioning and is now widely used in research in practice. However, the reliability and validity of eudaimonic measures such as the FS has not yet been tested in people with low or moderate levels of well-being. This group is at risk for developing mental disorders and, therefore, an important target group for public mental health.
  
  
  METHODS
  We extensively evaluated the psychometric properties of the 8-item FS in a sample of adults with low or moderate levels of well-being in The Netherlands (N = 275) using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), item response theory analysis and a multitrait matrix.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The unidimensional structure of the scale was confirmed with CFA and an adequate fit to the Rasch model. However, our sample showed positive skewness of the scale, but lacked measurement precision at the higher end of the social-psychological continuum. In general, the multitrait matrix demonstrated the convergent validity of the scale, with strong to weak correlations between the FS and (1) overall well-being, (2) social and psychological well-being (3) positive eudaimonic states, (4) hedonic states, (5) psychopathology and (6) personality traits. Nevertheless, relatively low correlations were found, specifically in comparison with the Mental Health Continuum-Short Form (MHC-SF).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The FS seems a reliable and valid instrument for measuring social-psychological functioning in adults with suboptimal well-being, but its use in intervention studies and clinical practice might be debatable. Therefore, the FS seems most suitable to include in epidemiological studies alongside existing hedonic measures to more fully capture mental well-being. Future research should examine the temporal stability of the FS and the consequences of the positive skewness and limited external validity of the scale found in the current study.
authors.affiliation: Trimbos Institute, Department of Public Mental Health, P.O. Box 725, 3500 AS, Utrecht, The Netherlands. m.schotanus@utwente.nl.|Centre for eHealth and Well-being Research, Department of Psychology, Health and Technology, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands. m.schotanus@utwente.nl.
authors.forename: Marijke
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schotanus-Dijkstra
authors.affiliation: Centre for eHealth and Well-being Research, Department of Psychology, Health and Technology, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Peter M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Ten Klooster
authors.affiliation: Centre for eHealth and Well-being Research, Department of Psychology, Health and Technology, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Constance H C
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Drossaert
authors.affiliation: Centre for eHealth and Well-being Research, Department of Psychology, Health and Technology, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Marcel E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Pieterse
authors.affiliation: Trimbos Institute, Department of Public Mental Health, P.O. Box 725, 3500 AS, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bolier
authors.affiliation: Centre for eHealth and Well-being Research, Department of Psychology, Health and Technology, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Jan A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Walburg
authors.affiliation: Centre for eHealth and Well-being Research, Department of Psychology, Health and Technology, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Ernst T
authors.initials: ET
authors.lastname: Bohlmeijer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D008603:Mental Health / Q000145:classification; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands; D011594:Psychometrics; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012917:Social Adjustment; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Confirmatory factor analysis; Eudaimonic well-being; Item response theory; Mental well-being; Psychometric properties; Social-psychological functioning