2022/08/02 by Mohsen Joshanloo
Psychology · Social Sciences · #Health disparities and outcomes #Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction #Psychological and Temporal Perspectives Research
paper · doi:10.1080/00223891.2022.2098755
crossref issued 2022/08/02 · crossref published 2022/08/02 · crossref published-online 2022/08/02 · openalex publication_date 2022/08/02 · crossref created 2022/08/02 · crossref published-print 2023/05/04 · crossref deposited 2024/03/07 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · crossref indexed 2026/07/28 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29
Mental well-being consists of hedonic/subjective, psychological, and social dimensions. Research has yet to determine how much of the variance in these three dimensions is stable or variable over time. This study used data from South Korea (N = 338) and the Netherlands (N = 2,094) to answer this question. Data were collected over a period of approximately 14 months in Korea (four time points) and 10 months in the Netherlands (four time points). The study used the Mental Health Continuum–Short Form (MHC–SF) to measure dimensions of well-being and the Multi-Trait Multi-State model for data analysis. Results showed a moderate degree of stability for the three dimensions, with the proportion of stable variance ranging from 51% to 61% (M = 58%). Item-level analysis provided more detailed insights into item stability, which helped clarify some of the concept-level results. Despite the large differences between Korea and the Netherlands in cultural values and well-being, estimates of stability and change were quite similar across the two countries. However, some modest cross-cultural differences were also found. The study provides insights that can help researchers and practitioners in the selection or construction of well-being items for various research and practical settings.