TY  - EJOU
AU  - Chen, Baijun 
AU  - Gui, Song 
AU  - Xie, Yujing 
AU  - Ma, Lijun 
AU  - Jiao, Can 

TI  - Assessing Flourishing in a Collectivist Context: Psychometric Evaluation of the Flourishing Scale in Chinese Middle School Students
T2  - International Journal of Mental Health Promotion

PY  - 2026
VL  - 28
IS  - 3
SN  - 2049-8543

AB  - <b>Objectives:</b> Flourishing, a central concept in positive psychology, encompasses multifaceted dimensions such as meaning, positive relationships, and engagement. Despite growing research interest, empirical studies focusing specifically on the flourishing of middle school students remain scarce. Given the critical need to promote flourishing among Chinese middle school students, the study aimed to adapt Diener’s Flourishing Scale for Chinese middle school students, examine its psychometric properties, and establish its measurement invariance across gender and time within this population. <b>Methods:</b> Participants were recruited from secondary schools in two Chinese provinces. The Chinese versions of the Flourishing Scale (CFS), along with the Index of Well-being (IWB) and the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), were employed. Data collection occurred in three phases, the first two for exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), respectively, and the last one for testing longitudinal measurement invariance and gender measurement invariance. <b>Results:</b> The CFS demonstrated excellent discrimination and consistency with Diener’s original model. Significant positive correlations emerged between the CFS scores and well-being (r = 0.75, <i>p</i> &lt; 0.01) as well as life satisfaction (r = 0.74, <i>p</i> &lt; 0.01). Cronbach’s α was 0.948, and the Pearson correlation coefficient (PCC) for test-retest reliability was 0.85 (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.01). The CFS demonstrated strict measurement invariance across both gender and time. <b>Conclusion:</b> The CFS demonstrates robust psychometric properties—including structural validity, reliability, and measurement invariance—for its application among Chinese middle school students.
KW  - Flourishing scale; Chinese middle school students; psychometric properties; positive psychology

DO  - 10.32604/ijmhp.2026.077048