Initial validation of the Chinese version VIA Youth-96 and age-related changes in character strengths among adolescents

Cheng, Xiaotong; Xu, Shuang; Huang, Yuyan; Cheng, Qi; Liu, Kezhi; Tian, Mingyuan; Liao, Xiaoyuan; Zhou, Xinyi; Xiang, Bo; Chen, Jing; Lei, Wei

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.906171

Cited by 2 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 61 publications

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“…The positive correlation among all character strengths may resemble the positive manifold of intelligence (the positive correlation linking all intelligence tasks) and, as already noted and tested (X. Cheng et al, 2022;Ng et al, 2017), a general factor of character strengths might exist and might be aptly described by a bifactor model. However, both factorial and external validity must be achieved to confirm the presence and utility of a general factor.…”

Section: Rationale and Hypothesessupporting

confidence: 54%

“…Considering these points, we believe the field of character strengths could gain much from a similar approach, particularly in light of the fact that a bifactor model can well describe the structure of character strengths (Cheng et al, 2022;Ng et al, 2017) but has not been applied yet in this field to predict any outcome, probably due to its recent emergence.…”

Section: Bifactor Models: Taking On Hierarchical Constructsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Is good character all that counts? A comparison between the predictive role of specific strengths and a general factor of “good character” using a bifactor model.

Feraco¹,

Casali²,

Menenghetti³

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Character strengths have been found to consistently predict many positive psychological outcomes, such as well-being, life satisfaction, and mental health, but research on the topic is still at its infancy and some methodological limitations must be overcome to better understand what character strengths are and what is their role. Two main issues concern the structure of character strengths and the widespread use of sum scores, which may undermine the credibility and replicability of previous findings. Using two different samples (with 14364 and 944 participants), we confirm that character strengths can be well described by a bifactor model reflecting the simultaneous existence of a general factor of ‘good character’ and the 24 specific character strengths. In addition, we newly show that the specific character strengths (with a few exceptions) have no predictive power when a general factor is included in the analysis. In fact, only the general factor consistently related to participants’ life satisfaction, mental health, and distress symptoms. These results highlight the need to better understand what this general factor really represents to finally capture the mechanisms linking character strengths between each other and with external outcomes. Implications for the measurement and interpretation of character strengths and for strength-based interventions are discussed.

show abstract

Section: Rationale and Hypothesessupporting

confidence: 54%

Section: Bifactor Models: Taking On Hierarchical Constructsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is good character all that counts? A comparison between the predictive role of specific strengths and a general factor of “good character” using a bifactor model.

Feraco¹,

Casali²,

Menenghetti³

et al. 2022

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Is Good Character All that Counts? A Comparison Between the Predictive Role of Specific Strengths and a General Factor of “Good Character” Using a Bifactor Model

Feraco,

Casali,

Meneghetti

et al. 2023

J Happiness Stud

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Character strengths have been found to consistently predict many positive psychological outcomes, such as well-being, life satisfaction, and mental health, but research on the topic is still at its infancy and some methodological limitations must be overcome to better understand what character strengths are and what is their role. One main issue concerns the structure of character strengths and virtues, which may undermine the credibility and replicability of previous findings. Using two different samples (with 13,439 and 944 participants), we confirm that character strengths can be well described by a bifactor model reflecting the simultaneous existence of a general factor of ‘good character’ and the 24 specific character strengths. We found that the general factor consistently predicts participants’ life satisfaction, mental health, and distress symptoms. In addition, we show that the specific character strengths (with the few exceptions represented by gratitude, hope, and zest) do not predict life satisfaction and mental health above and beyond the general factor. These results highlight the need to better understand what this general factor really represents to finally capture the mechanisms linking character strengths between each other and with external outcomes. Implications for the measurement and interpretation of character strengths and for strength-based interventions are discussed.

show abstract

Initial validation of the Chinese version VIA Youth-96 and age-related changes in character strengths among adolescents

Cited by 2 publications

References 61 publications

Is good character all that counts? A comparison between the predictive role of specific strengths and a general factor of “good character” using a bifactor model.

Is good character all that counts? A comparison between the predictive role of specific strengths and a general factor of “good character” using a bifactor model.

Is Good Character All that Counts? A Comparison Between the Predictive Role of Specific Strengths and a General Factor of “Good Character” Using a Bifactor Model

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