Psychological General Well-Being Index – PGWBI
Measures self-represented subjective well-being and distress across six affective dimensions.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Psychological General Well-Being Index – PGWBI was developed by Harold J. Dupuy (1984). It is designed to measure Subjective Well-Being. The scale is intended for use with Adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 22 items organized into 6 factors/subscales: Anxiety, Depressed Mood, Positive Well-Being, Self-Control, General Health, Vitality.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Anxiety | 5,8,17,19,22 | 5 |
| Depressed Mood | 3,7,11 | 3 |
| Positive Well-Being | 1,9,15,20 | 4 |
| Self-Control | 4,14,18 | 3 |
| General Health | 2,10,13 | 3 |
| Vitality | 6,12,16,21 | 4 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 0 = 0, 1 = 1, 2 = 2, 3 = 3, 4 = 4, 5 = 5.
The scale includes 9 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Items are summed to produce a total score.
Total scores range from 0 to 110. Interpretation guidelines:
- Severe Distress: 0 – 60
- Moderate Distress: 61 – 72
- Positive Well-Being: 73 – 110
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of 0.90-0.94.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.