Shall we add some meaning? Investigating useful single-item extensions to the short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale for national public health surveillance

Background Monitoring mental well-being at thenational level has become increasingly important and widespread. However, the type and scope of mental well-being measurement are highly diverse, to the disadvantage of comparability. By taking actual recommendations on how to measure well-being at the national level into account, the present study aimed to identify a multicomponent mental well-being measure suitable for regular nationwide surveillance and cross-national comparability. Methods In a sample of 2,614 participants who were equally balanced across age (18-29, 30-44, 45-59, 60-74 years), sex (male, female) and educational groups (low, moderate, high), we investigated the additional value of combining the seven-item Short Warwick-Edinburgh Well-being Scale (SWEMWBS) with the most frequently used single-item measures of mental well-being (i.e., happiness, satisfaction with life and meaning of life, which reflect the components of hedonia, eudaimonia and interpersonal well-being, respectively). Additionally, we investigated the factor structure of the ten-item composite measure. Results The results replicated the assumed three-factor structure of the SWEMWBS and suggested a fourth factor comprising the three single items as well as a higher-order general well-being factor. Overall, the results indicated the appropriateness of a composite score as a macroindicatorof mental well-being as well as a decomposed analysis of the hedonic and eudaimonic components or single-item measurements of mental well-being, which would enable more differentiated insights and maximal comparability. Meaning of life showed the highest added value, thus indicating its distinctiveness among the components of mental well-being. Conclusions The results show how a highly comparable comprehensive yet economical measurement of mental well-being is possible in large-scale assessments. The addition of three of the most popular single items - happiness, satisfaction with life and meaning of life - to the more rigorous measure of wellbeing via the WEMWBS not only ensures comparability but also allows for a more comprehensive understanding of wellbeing. Regular public surveillance of mental well-being indicators can provide insights regarding the application, differentiation, reliability and sensitivity to change of these measurements over time and help guide public health action measures.