Validation of a social emotional wellness survey among Japanese elementary school students

ABSTRACT

Objective: This study investigated the validity of the Social Emotional Health Survey–Primary (SEHS-P;Furlong et al., 2013), which assesses four wellness dispositions (gratitude, optimism, zest, and persistence) associated with positive youth development.

Method: The sample included 995 Japanese elementary school students (Grades 4-6) attending one of four schools in and nearby Tokyo. A confirmatory factor analysis tested the fit of the hypothesized SEHS-P factor structure.

Results: The model adequately fit the data. As hypothesized, items showed good factor loadings on the corresponding four factors. All parameter estimates were statistically significant (p < .01). Criterion validation examined associations between the SEHS-P and measures of psychological distress and satisfaction with classroom life. Validation coefficients were moderate to large size (.37 to .57). Reliability was good for each subscale (Alpha and Omega coefficients = .83 to .97).

Conclusion: This preliminary validation of the Japanese version of SEHS-P provides a step towards introducing a much-needed, whole-school universal screening approach to support positive education in Japanese schools.

KEYWORDS:

• Social Emotional Health Survey-Primary
• elementary school students
• scale development
• Japanese schools
• positive education

Acknowledgments

The authors express appreciation to teachers and students who participated in this research study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Ethical standards

The authors assert that all procedures contributing to this work comply with the relevant national and institutional committees’ ethical standards on human experimentation and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2008.

Additional information

Funding

A Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Grant [17K04341] supported this study.