Abstract

Since its creation, the Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS) has been the most frequently used instrument to evaluate subjective happiness. Although the original version has been translated and validated into several languages around the world, including Spanish, there are not enough studies in Latin American countries that evaluate its psychometric properties. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Mexican version of the SHS. The SHS was administered along with the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) to the general population. A large sample of 849 participants was used for this study. For statistical analysis, the sample was divided into four groups according to age (range 16 to 64 years old). The reliability and unidimensional structure of the SHS were tested and also a multigroup confirmatory factor analysis was conducted. Results indicate an adequate reliability for the scale (α = .77), supporting its unidimensional structure regardless of sex and age ranges. Also, the SHS was negatively correlated with the PSS, showing its discriminant validity. We can conclude that the Mexican version of the SHS is an adequate instrument to use in the Mexican population, both in young people and in adults. It would be advisable to confirm these results in other larger samples; however, in the absence of other studies in the country, this data can be taken, provisionally, as normative data.

Keywords: Subjective Happiness Scale, Happiness, Confirmatory Factor Analysis, Validity, Mexico