Validation of Pemberton Happiness Index for Brazil

• Grant number: 14/11370-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research
• Start date: October 30, 2014
• End date: June 29, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Psychology - Fundamentals and Assessments in Psychology
• Principal Investigator: Fabiana Alexandre Ferreira
• Grantee: Fabiana Alexandre Ferreira
• Host Investigator: Djamel Abdelkader Zighed
• Host Institution: Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia de São Paulo (IFSP). Campus Sertãozinho. Sertãozinho , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Université Lumière Lyon 2, France

Abstract

The Pemberton Happiness Index (PHI) was developed by researchers Gonzalo Hervas and Carmelo Vázquez at the Complutense University of Madrid. The index includes 21 statements where eleven of them are related to different domains of remembered well-being and ten related to the experienced well-being. The sum of these items produces an index of combined well-being. The initial items and reference scales have been translated into seven languages and completed via the Internet by individuals nine countries, including Germany, India, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey and USA. The initial results of this study demonstrated good psychometric indicators of the PHI, such as internal consistency, factor structure, convergent and incremental validity. Considering that the PHI was applied successfully for nine countries that we believe is appropriate to verify its generality, extending its application also to Brazil with the general objective of this proposal is to make available for use in Brazil, an integrated measure of subjective well-being that incorporates the general hedonistic, eudaimonico and social well-being, involving perspectives of experienced and remembered well-being. As specific objectives, we intend to perform the translation and cultural adaptation of the Pemberton Happiness Index, evaluate the reliability of the instrument through the correlation coefficients for internal consistency, split-half and test-retest reliability, among others; examine the content validity and face validity of the items that make up the instrument analyze the overall validity of the instrument from the exploratory and confirmatory factor analyzes; examine the concurrent validity assessed by comparing with the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire. Regarding the methodology, the research will be conducted among university students in the region of Ribeirão Preto. Data will be collected throughout 2014 and aims to reach number between 500 and 1,000 students. The instruments for data collection include the Pemberton Happiness Index, after translation and cultural adaptation to Brazilian and Portuguese language, the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire with 29 items to be answered on a Likert scale of six points and also a sociodemographic questionnaire with questions about personal, economic, situational, social context data, health, religion and socio-political stance. The psychometric treatment will aim to calculate the reliability and validity of the test. The reliability of the instrument will be assessed through the correlation coefficients for internal consistency, split-half and test-retest. The validation of the PHI will be performed by analyzing the content validity and face validity of the items that make up the instrument; also by analyzing the overall validity of the instrument from the exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis and analysis of concurrent validity assessed by comparing with the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire.