Adaptation and Validation of the Steen Happiness Index into Polish

Abstract

Authentic happiness is a construct comprising 3 factors: pleasure, engagement, and meaning (Seligman, Parks, & Steen, 2005). Three studies involving altogether 464 participants adapted and validated the authentic happiness measure Steen Happiness Index (SHI; Seligman, Steen, Park, & Peterson, 2005) into Polish. In Study 1 the Polish version of the scale was developed and its convergence with the original SHI was assessed using bilingual response method, r = .98, p < .001. In Study 2 cluster analysis confirmed the theoretical profiles of happiness, testing the proposed 3-factor structure of the scale, χ2 (116) = 180.62, GFI = .95, CFI=.97, SRMR = .04, RMSEA = .04, RMSEA 90% CI [.25 - .45]. Test-retest reliability (Study 3) yielded satisfactory results, rtt = .87, p < .01. This is the first study providing empirical support for the structural validity of the authentic happiness construct. It also shows the cross-cultural generality of the construct. We discuss some practical applications of the scale.