Abstract

Objectives: The aim of the research was to examine the factor structure of 3, 9 and 14-item Persian versions of Ryff's Scales of Psychological Well-being (RSPWB) that encompasses six domains: self-acceptance, positive relations with others, autonomy, environmental mastery, purpose in life, and personal growth.

Method: A 14-item version of RSPWB was administered to a sample of 374 university students (158 male and 216 female) who were selected using multi-stage cluster sampling. Three competing models for each of 3, 9 and 14-item versions were evaluated using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Data were analyzed using affirmative factor analysis, and multivariate analysis of variance.                  

Results: CFA revealed that while the multidimensional Ryff's Scales of Psychological Well-being model in the 3, 9 and 14-item versions had an acceptable fit to the data, the hierarchical RSPWB model demonstrated a superior fit in mentioned versions. Also, the unidimensional scales of RSPWB was shown to be an unacceptable measurement model in this sample in the 3, 9 and 14-item versions.

Conclusion: Obtained results replicated some of the previous findings and supported the RSPWB’s multidimensionality and supported the super-order factor model in which RSPWB is composed of six relatively distinct dimensions.