Validation of two versions of the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale among Norwegian adolescents:

Aim: This study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the original 14-item version of the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (WEMWBS) and the short 7-item version (SWEMWBS) to validate these scales for use among Norwegian adolescents. Method: Cross-sectional data were collected by distributing questionnaires among students in five upper secondary schools in Norway with a net sample of n = 1814. Exploratory- and confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) and a reliability analysis were conducted and possible floor and ceiling effects were examined to evaluate the scales. A correlation analysis was conducted to examine criterion-related validity. Results: The preliminary exploratory factor analysis gave strong indications of a one-dimensional solution for both versions of the scale. Furthermore, both scales showed high internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = .93 for the WEMWBS and α = .88 for the SWEMWBS). The SWEMWBS showed the best fit in the CFA and a strong correlation with the WEMWBS (r = .94). T...