3.2.1 Method
With regard to procedure and participants, the questionnaire survey that was used in the preliminary research was conducted on the web through Cross Marketing Inc. from November 4–18, 2021. Participants (aged 20–79 years) were recruited from six regions of Japan (Hokkaido/Tohoku, Kanto, Chubu, Kansai, Chugoku/Shikoku, and Kyushu/Okinawa) and four regions of the U.S. (Northeast, Midwest, West, and South), with each region and each age range, equally assigned. The survey was administered to 6000 individuals (3000 in Japan and 3000 in the U.S.), and valid responses were obtained from 5245 participants (2628 in Japan and 2617 in the U.S.). In Japan, the mean age was 49.7 ± 16.9 years (17.6% 20s, 15.7% 30s, 15.9% 40s, 15.7% 50s, 16.2% 60s, 18.9% 70s; 48.5% men, 51.0% women, 0.5% other; 16.2% Hokkaido/Tohoku, 16.4% Kanto, 17.0% Chubu, 17.0% Kinki, 16.8% Chugoku/Shikoku, 16.6% Kyushu/Okinawa). In the U.S., the mean age was 50.1 ± 17.3 (16.6% 20s, 15.7% 30s, 15.6% 40s, 16% 50s, 18.0% 60s, 18.1% 70s; 49.9% men, 49.8% women, 0.2% other; 24.7% Northeast, 25.6% Midwest, 25.3% West, 24.3% South).
With regard to measures, based on the preliminary results, we a proposed four-factor scale. Each subscale comprised three to four items (N = 13 items), and responses were obtained using a seven-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree, 7 = strongly agree), with the mean of each used as the score.
For data analysis, a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of the four-factor scale was conducted using data for the entire population and the U.S. and Japanese samples. Items that showed the Spearman correlation coefficient of 0.4 or higher (p < .05) with SWLS and a correlation of ± 0.2 or higher (p < .05) with at least one of the PA or NA or items that maintained a certain level of commonality with the factor loadings were selected (main factor method, Promax rotation). Subsequently, a CFA was conducted on the Japanese and English versions of the data to determine if they showed similar factor structures. As a reexamination of the scale’s internal reliability, each factor structure of the Japanese and English versions of the scale was confirmed using data from the preliminary survey. SPSS.27 was used for data analysis.
3.2.2 Results and discussion
Using the overall data, a CFA of the four-factor 13-item scale showed the following goodness-of-fit: χ2(59) = 1097.76, CFI = .97, GFI = .97, AGFI = .95, RMSEA = .058. However, two items had weak correlations with SWB in the preliminary research results (Grateful for connections: “I want to see people’s happy faces” and “I am grateful with people”), one item had commonality less than 0.4 (Accepting what is: “I never lose sight of myself”), and two items had factor loadings less than 0.4 and equal factor loadings in multiple factors (Ikigai/Life fulfillment: “I have goals and plans for my life”, and Love for self: “More often than not, I find that more good things happen to me than bad”). Thus, these five items were excluded, and a CFA was conducted again with eight items and four factors (Table 3). The goodness-of-fit of the model was χ2(14) = 170.24, CFI = .99, GFI = .99, AGFI = .98, RMSEA = .046. Next, a CFA with eight items and a four-factor structure was conducted for each participant (2628 in Japan and 2617 in the U.S.). The goodness-of-fit of the model in Japan was χ2(14) = 97.21, CFI = .99, GFI = .99, AGFI = .98, RMSEA = .048. The goodness-of-fit of the model in the U.S. was χ2(14) = 105.88, CFI = .99, GFI = .99, AGFI = .97, RMSEA = .05. Based on the results of the above CFA, Cronbach’s α coefficients were calculated for each of the four factors and eight scale items, with the mean, standard deviation, and internal consistency index for each subscale calculated for the overall population and separately for the Japan and U.S. samples. In the study population, Cronbach’s αs of the four factors (Accepting what is, Grateful for connections, Ikigai/Life fulfillment, and Love for self) were .70, .65, .70, and .79, respectively; in the Japan sample, they were .67, .63, .61, and .77, respectively; and in the U.S. sample, they were .68, .56, .68, and .77, respectively.
A CFA was conducted again to reexamine the internal reliability of the scale. The goodness-of-fit of the model for the study population was χ2(14) = 56.8, CFI = .98, GFI = .97, AGFI = .93, RMSEA = .08. The goodness-of-fit of the model for the Japan sample was χ2(14) = 47.11, CFI = .96, GFI = .96, AGFI = .89, RMSEA = .09. The goodness-of-fit of the model for the U.S. sample was χ2(14) = 37.13, CFI = .97, GFI = .96, AGFI = .90, RMSEA = .08. The Cronbach’s αs for the four factors were .77, .67, .75, and .77, respectively, for the study population; .79, .70, .68, and .75, respectively, for the Japan sample; and .73, .58, .72, and .76, respectively, for the U.S. sample.
These results indicate that the eight-item, the four-factor structure of both the Japanese and English versions of the scale tended to fit the model better both in the preliminary survey data and in the main survey data. Contrastingly, it cannot be determined that RMSEA scores were statistically significant in the preliminary survey results. The results included Cronbach’s α coefficients for each subscale that was lower than the general standard: Ikigai/life fulfillment in the Japanese version, and Grateful for connections in the English version. Although the number of items in the overall scale was limited in this study to reduce the burden on respondents and for future research and utility, the number of items was even smaller than in the research design phase because items with low correlations with SWB and items with low commonality and factor loadings were excluded. Despite the broad and complex nature of the four-factor subscale, the item structure was designed so that a small number of items encompassed the entire concept, which may have contributed to the low internal consistency. For example, Grateful for connections has items based on the idea of feeling connected to other people and things and feeling a mutual connection and gratitude toward them. It is necessary to reexamine whether the items are based on the perception of interrelationships and/or one’s mental state. Another possible reason for the low internal consistency is the fact that the responses tended to be inconsistent, even for the same item on the same factor. This may be because of cultural differences in participants’ experiences. Consequently, in future studies, it is necessary to examine test-retest reliability by conducting surveys with the same respondents at different times of the year and reexamining the four-factor structure and creating a revised version of the survey.
Table 3
Factor loadings and items of four-factor well-being scale
Items
|
Main Survey
|
Preliminary Survey
|
Total (N = 5245)
|
Japan (n = 2628)
|
U.S. (n = 2617)
|
Total (N = 481)
|
Japan (n = 246)
|
U.S. (n = 235)
|
FL
|
α
|
M
|
SD
|
FL
|
α
|
M
|
SD
|
FL
|
α
|
M
|
SD
|
FL
|
α
|
M
|
SD
|
FL
|
α
|
M
|
SD
|
FL
|
α
|
M
|
SD
|
Accepting what is
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I accept my thoughts, whether positive or negative, without being self-judgmental.
|
.66
|
.70
|
4.56
|
1.19
|
.65
|
.67
|
4.24
|
0.95
|
.77
|
.68
|
4.88
|
1.31
|
.97
|
.77
|
4.61
|
1.26
|
.95
|
.79
|
4.30
|
1.11
|
.95
|
.73
|
4.94
|
1.34
|
自分の思考がポジティブなものであれネガティブなものであれ、それを評価することなく受け入れられる。
|
I accept my experiences as they are, without being judgmental.
|
.60
|
.65
|
.40
|
.53
|
.39
|
.38
|
良い・悪いの評価や判断をせずに、自分の体験を受け入れることができる。
|
Grateful for connections
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
When I see people being happy and joyful, I am delighted as if these emotions are mine.
|
.69
|
.65
|
4.86
|
1.18
|
.68
|
.63
|
4.38
|
1.02
|
.69
|
.56
|
5.33
|
1.14
|
.66
|
.67
|
4.68
|
1.27
|
.52
|
.70
|
4.29
|
1.14
|
.59
|
.58
|
5.08
|
1.28
|
人が喜び、幸せそうにしているのをみると、自分のことのように嬉しくなる。
|
I am grateful for all the things in the world.
|
.63
|
.67
|
.51
|
.75
|
.97
|
.40
|
世界中の様々なことに感謝している。
|
Ikigai/Life fulfillment
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
What I do brings me joy and fulfillment.
|
.65
|
.70
|
4.24
|
1.31
|
.54
|
.61
|
3.75
|
1.07
|
.74
|
.68
|
4.74
|
1.34
|
.39
|
.75
|
4.19
|
1.36
|
.88
|
.68
|
3.67
|
1.15
|
.43
|
.72
|
4.73
|
1.35
|
私がしていることは、喜びと満足を与えてくれる。
|
The person I am now is the person that I truly wanted to be.
|
.64
|
.64
|
.60
|
.97
|
.53
|
.91
|
今の自分は「本当になりたかった自分」である。
|
Love for self
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I love and cherish myself.
|
.69
|
.79
|
4.65
|
1.3
|
.73
|
.77
|
4.29
|
1.12
|
.72
|
.77
|
5.02
|
1.37
|
.77
|
.77
|
4.51
|
1.30
|
.38
|
.75
|
4.22
|
1.17
|
.60
|
.76
|
4.81
|
1.36
|
自分自身を愛し大切にしている。
|
I forgive and love myself even if I feel the urge to blame myself or find things that do not go as planned.
|
.76
|
.73
|
.75
|
.25
|
.95
|
.21
|
自分を責めるおもいがでたり、思い通りにいかないことがあっても、自分をゆるし、自分を愛するようにしている。
|
Note. FL = Factor loading. |
[Table 3 placement]