Volume 5, Article 25
Character Strengths in Qatar: A Psychometric Evaluation of the VIA-IS Short Form and the Correlations with Subjective Wellbeing
Aisha AlAhmadi and Roger Bretherton
Citation: AlAhmadi, A., & Bretherton, R. (2021). Character Strengths in Qatar: A Psychometric Evaluation of the VIA-IS Short
Form and the Correlations with Subjective Wellbeing. European Journal of Applied Positive Psychology, 5, 25, 1-14. https://www.nationalwellbeingservice.org/volumes/volume-5-2021/volume-5-article-25/
Processing dates: Submitted 12th July 2021; Resubmitted 12th September 2021; Accepted 28th September 2021; Published 22nd December 2021
Abstract
Background: Our research aimed to broaden the viability assessment of the Values In Action-Inventory of Strengths (VIA-IS) by validating the Arabic version of the short form using a cohort of university students to reveal the Qatari character strengths.
Methodology: 1336 participants completed the short form of the VIA-IS, the Satisfaction with Life Scale and Positive and Negative Affect Schedule. The study analyzed the psychometric properties of the VIA-IS Arabic version and assessed its associations with measures of subjective wellbeing.
Results: Moderate reliabilities were noted for most of the 24 subscales. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses revealed a four-factor solution. A significant effect of age was found on love of learning, perspective, prudence, and spirituality. Women scored higher than men on love, forgiveness, appreciation of beauty and excellence, and spirituality, whereas men attained higher scores on bravery.
Discussion: The psychometric characteristics are compatible with findings from several studies thatused the VIA-IS long version. The correlates of the Qatari version of VIA-120 with life satisfaction corroborated the results of past investigations. The latter also substantiated positive associations of the VIA-120 subscales with positive and negative affect as well as the presence of more similarities than differences in the occurrence of strengths among women and men.
Conclusions: We recommend using the longer version of the VIA-IS in the Qatari context. Understanding how the 24 VIA character strengths are connected to each other in a comprehensive, structural model, helps to depict the number of qualities that are required to explicate virtuous character.
Keywords: VIA Inventory of Strengths, Qatari sample, Subjective Wellbeing, Character Strengths
Biographies
Aisha AlAhmadi is with the Psychological Sciences Department, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4232-333X
Roger Bretherton is with the School of Psychology, University of Lincoln, Brayford Way, Brayford Pool,
Lincoln LN6 7TS, UK
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9715-2622