Analysis of the measurement scale properties for manifestations of psychological well-being among french students enrolled in their first year of health and dentistry studies

Abstract

The evaluation of well-being is currently the focus of academic attention. However, little research has been done on measuring well-being among students enrolled in healthcare training in France. Moreover, the properties of the instruments used to measure well-being were determined by interviewing individuals born before 1980. Here, the properties of the scale for measuring the manifestation of psychological well-being (EMMBEP) were reanalyzed in 3 samples of students recently enrolled in health training. The results show that 23 items contributed to the measurement of well-being. These items reflected 3 factors including ‘self-confidence and selfcontrol’, ‘social skills’ and ‘a balanced and attractive life’. The scale exhibits a very good internal consistency and the structure was invariant regarding cis-gender and academic background. In conclusion, this work provides good arguments for considering the EMMBEP23 as a reliable measurement instrument that satisfies several construct validity criteria. It also suggests that the structure of well-being has evolved, and the causes of this change are discussed.