Dimensions of Social Well-Being in a Motor Manufacturing Organisation in South Africa

Abstract

he study examined the psychometric properties of the 15-item version of the Social Well-being Scale (SWBS-15: Keyes, 1998) for a South African sample with diversity in culture. The SWBS-15 and a biographical questionnaire were administered to employees in a motor manufacturing organisation (N = 203). The five-factor structure of social well-being obtained previously in Western studies, were not replicated. Instead, we found three factors with acceptable levels of internal consistency emerged through exploratory factor analysis. Significant differences regarding social well-being were obtained between groups that differed in terms of their marital status and job levels. The results suggest that social well-being in South Africa might be operationalized differently than it is currently operationalized in traditional western measurements.

Measuring social well-being in Africa: An exploratory structural equation modelling study

“…The present study expands the research conducted by De Jager et al (2008), amongst others, through applying CFA and ESEM to investigate the factor structure of the social wellbeing measure in an African sample. As indicated by Lages et al (2018, p.16) 'a proper understanding of mental health derives from the existence of valid and reliable measurement instruments, theoretically driven and adapted to their application contexts'.…”

“…A South African study utilising the 15-item short-form version found an emic factor structure comprising three dimensions amongst a sample of employees in a motor manufacturing sector (De Jager et al, 2008). Notwithstanding that De Jager et al (2008) could not replicate Keyes' (1998) theoretically intended model, their interpretation of the factor solution was contextually meaningful and useful for our exploration.…”

“…A South African study utilising the 15-item short-form version found an emic factor structure comprising three dimensions amongst a sample of employees in a motor manufacturing sector (De Jager et al, 2008). Notwithstanding that De Jager et al (2008) could not replicate Keyes' (1998) theoretically intended model, their interpretation of the factor solution was contextually meaningful and useful for our exploration. They named their three emergent factors: social predictability and growth, social trust and social value and belonging, leading them to express a careful observation that 'social well-being in South Africa might be operationalised differently' (De Jager et al, 2008, p.57).…”

“…In Portugal, Lages et al (2018) found, the long version to be reliable. In South Africa, De Jager et al's (2008) three factor model also produced internally coherent dimensions: social predictability and growth (α = 0.62), social trust (α = 0.69), social value and belonging (α = 0.74). (2014,2015), were followed.…”

Association of Social Media Use With Social Well-Being, Positive Mental Health, and Self-Rated Health: Disentangling Routine Use From Emotional Connection to Use

“…However, as social well-being is multidimensional, we also noted that at least one of its five dimensions, namely social acceptance, was found to be significantly lower among younger age groups (18-29 and 30-44 groups) compared with the 60+ age group. This finding suggests that the link between age and social well-being remains equivocal and inconclusive (de Jager, Coetzee, & Visser, 2008) and should be seen in the context of Keyes' (1998) initial observation that social well-being is heterogeneous across ages. In contrast, consistent with previous findings (e.g., Keyes, 1998;Zhang, Chen, McCubbin, McCubbin, & Foley, 2011), social well-being was found to be positively associated with education and income.…”