Examining the Psychometric Characteristics of the Happiness Questionnaire of Middle-Aged Women; in Iranian Society

Subject Areas : Psychological Models and Methods

Mohammad Hossein Salemi ¹ , majid saffarinia ²

1 - Ph.D. Student in Psychology, University of Tehran, Iran.
2 - Professor, Department of Psychology, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran.

Received: 2023-11-17 Accepted : 2024-09-16 Published : 2024-12-11

Keywords: Happiness Questionnaire, Middle-aged Women, Validity, Reliability,

Abstract :

Background and purpose: To validly measure the happiness of middle-aged women, attention should be given to their personality traits, physical conditions, social factors, and psychological characteristics. Accordingly, the present study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the Happiness Assessment Scale for Middle-aged Women (HAS-MW) among Iranian middle-aged women.

 

Methods: This research employed a quantitative, descriptive-correlational design. The statistical population consisted of middle-aged women in Isfahan city in 2023, from which 344 participants were selected using convenience sampling. Participants completed the Happiness Assessment Scale for Middle-aged Women (HAS-MW) by Shin et al., the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), and the Oxford Happiness Inventory (OHI). In this study, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted. Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to assess convergent validity, and Cronbach’s alpha was calculated to measure reliability.

 

Findings: The findings indicated that four factors—self-worth, positive thinking, self-management, and family relationships were extracted through exploratory factor analysis. All factor loadings obtained from the confirmatory factor analysis were significant (P < 0.01), and the model fit indices were at acceptable levels, confirming the construct validity of the questionnaire. Additionally, the positive and significant relationships between self-worth, positive thinking, self-management, and family relationships with the overall happiness score in the Middle-aged Women’s Happiness Questionnaire by Shin et al., the Oxford Happiness Inventory and Life Satisfaction Questionnaire, indicated the convergent validity of the questionnaire. Cronbach's alpha for the overall happiness score and its components ranged from 0.819 to 0.937, demonstrating good reliability of the questionnaire.

 

Conclusion: Overall, the findings suggest that the Persian version of the Middle-Aged Women's Happiness Questionnaire can be effectively used for clinical and research purposes.

 

References:

Kim J, Im S, Lee S, Heo J. “At this age, I can do anything”: a phenomenological study exploring self-efficacy in pole dancing among middle-aged women. Leisure Studies. 2023;42(5):736-50.
https://doi.org/10.1080/02614367.2022.2138511
2. Allahverdipour H, Karimzadeh Z, Alizadeh N, Asghari Jafarabadi M, Javadivala Z. Psychological well-being and happiness among middle-aged women: a cross-sectional study. Health care for women international. 2021;42(1):28-42.
https://doi.org/10.1080/07399332.2019.1703990
3. Abay F, Buyuk SK, Turken R. Factors of life satisfaction and happiness among dentists: A cross sectional study. Journal of Taibah University Medical Sciences. 2022;17(5):921-7.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtumed.2022.04.008
4. Shin H-J, Kim J-I. Development and validation of the happiness scale for Middle-Aged women based on existence, relation, and growth theory. Asian Nursing Research. 2021;15(2):96-104.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anr.2020.12.002
5. Cox AE, Brunet J, McMahon AK, Price J. A qualitative study exploring middle-aged women’s experiences with yoga. Journal of Women & Aging. 2022;34(4):460-72.
https://doi.org/10.1080/08952841.2021.1944752
6. Rezaee N, Seyedfatemi N, Salsali M. Preserving and Promoting Health among Middle-aged Women: A Grounded Theory Study. Journal of Qualitative Research in Health Sciences. 2020;9(1):1-9
7. Zhanbo Q, Jing Z, Shugao H, Yinhang W, Jian C, Xiang Y, et al. Age and aging process alter the gut microbes. Aging. 2024;16.
https://doi.org/10.18632/aging.205728
8. Choon S-W, Yong C-C, Tan S-K, Tan S-H. A proposed integrated happiness framework to achieve sustainable development. Heliyon. 2022;8(10).
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e10813
9. Çakir VO, Demirel DH. A Student-Oriented Study: Analyzing the Relationship between Happiness and Satisfaction with Life. Journal of Educational Issues. 2019;5(1):150-61.
https://doi.org/10.5296/jei.v5i1.14661
10. Bruni L, Smerilli A, De Rosa D. A modern guide to the economics of happiness: Edward Elgar Publishing; 2021.
https://doi.org/10.4337/9781788978767
11. Almadani NA, Alwesmi MB. The Relationship between Happiness and Mental Health among Saudi Women. Brain Sciences. 2023;13(4):526.
https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci13040526
12. Sun Y. Happiness and mental health of older adults: multiple mediation analysis. Frontiers in Psychology. 2023;14:1108678.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1108678
13. Tejada-Gallardo C, Blasco-Belled A, Torrelles-Nadal C, Alsinet C. How does emotional intelligence predict happiness, optimism, and pessimism in adolescence? Investigating the relationship from the bifactor model. Current Psychology. 2022;41(8):5470-80.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-020-01061-z
14. Afshari E, Zarei A, Mahmoud Alilou M, Nemati F. Comparing Coping strategies, happiness, hope for future in adolescent's survivor Bam earthquake with other adolescents. Shenakht Journal of Psychology and Psychiatry. 2018;5(3):38-52.
http://dx.doi.org/10.29252/shenakht.5.3.38
15. Sh G, Sadeghi H, Amini L, Sh H. Comparing General Health and Happiness in Elderly Women With and With-out a Spouse Referring to Health Centers in Bandar Abbas, Iran, in 2018. Iran Journal of Nursing. 2021;34(133):40-53.
https://doi.org/10.32598/ijn.34.5.4
16. Moghimi E, Nemat Tavousi M. Reliability and Validity of the Persian Version of Pemberton Happiness Index. Educational Psychology. 2018;14(47):163-83.
https://doi.org/10.22054/jep.2018.26036.1990
17. Pourdavarani A, Farokhzadian J, Forouzi MA, Shahraki SK. The effect of positive thinking training on anxiety and happiness among older adults: A quasi-experimental study. Journal of Education and Health Promotion. 2024;13(1):65.
https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-877610/v1
18. Ramos-Vera CA. Beyond sample size estimation in clinical univariate analysis. An online calculation for structural equation modeling and network analysis on latent and observable variables. Nutrición Hospitalaria. 2021;38(6):1310.
https://dx.doi.org/10.20960/nh.03751
19. Serdar CC, Cihan M, Yücel D, Serdar MA. Sample size, power and effect size revisited: simplified and practical approaches in pre-clinical, clinical and laboratory studies. Biochemia medica. 2021;31(1):27-53.
https://doi.org/10.11613/BM.2021.010502
20. Kwon JH, Kim JW, Park DG, Lee MS, Min SG, Kwon HI. Development and validation of the Hwa-Byung Scale. The Korean Journal of Clinical Psychology. 2008;27(1):237-52
21. Argyle M, Lu L. The happiness of extraverts. Personality and individual differences. 1990;11(10):1011-7.
https://doi.org/10.1016/0191-8869(90)90128-E
22. Alipour A, Agah Heris M. Reliability and validity of the Oxford Happiness Inventory among Iranians. 2007
23. Diener E, Diener M, Diener C. Factors predicting the subjective well-being of nations. Journal of personality and social psychology. 1995;69(5):851.
https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/0022-3514.69.5.851
24. Bayani AA, Koocheky AM, Goodarzi H. The reliability and validity of the satisfaction with life scale. 2007
25. Banerjee P, Das J. Relationship between Happiness and Self Esteem among University Teachers. PalArch's Journal of Archaeology of Egypt/Egyptology. 2020;17(9):3621-31
26. Erozkan A, Dogan U, Adiguzel A. Self-Efficacy, Self-Esteem, and Subjective Happiness of Teacher Candidates at the Pedagogical Formation Certificate Program. Journal of Education and Training Studies. 2016;4(8):72-82.
http://dx.doi.org/10.11114/jets.v4i8.1535
27. Liu H, Da S. The relationships between leisure and happiness-A graphic elicitation method. Leisure Studies. 2020;39(1):111-30.
https://doi.org/10.1080/02614367.2019.1575459
28. Verrastro V, Ritella G, Saladino V, Pistella J, Baiocco R, Fontanesi L. Personal and Family Correlates to Happiness amongst Italian Children and Pre-Adolescents. International journal of emotional education. 2020;12(1):48-64
29. Chiang HH, Lee TSH. Family relations, sense of coherence, happiness and perceived health in retired Taiwanese: analysis of a conceptual model. Geriatrics & gerontology international. 2018;18(1):154-60.
https://doi.org/10.1111/ggi.13141
30. Badri MA, Alkhaili M, Aldhaheri H, Yang G, Albahar M, Alrashdi A. Exploring the reciprocal relationships between happiness and life satisfaction of working adults—Evidence from Abu Dhabi. International journal of environmental research and public health. 2022;19(6):3575.
https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19063575