Translation and validation of a Chinese version of the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale with undergraduate nursing trainees

Introduction: There is growing interest worldwide in the evaluation of positive mental health and wellbeing. Aim: This study was to translate the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS) into Chinese and assess the reliability and validity of this scale in a sample of undergraduate nursing trainees. Methods: A forward and backward translation protocol was used to translate the scale into Chinese. The psychometric properties of the C-WEMWBS, such as internal consistency reliability, test-retest reliability and factorial validity, were analysed. Results: All 14 items of the initial C-WEMWBS were rated as conceptually equivalent to those of the original version. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated the emergence of a single factor. The psychometric properties of the C-WEMWBS were satisfactory, with an internal consistency reliability of .94 and a test-retest reliability of .83. The item-total correlations ranged from .66 to .83. There was a moderate relationship (r = .52) between the C-WEMWBS and the WHO-5. Implications for practice: This was the first Chinese version of the WEMWBS to be developed and psychometrically assessed with a sample of undergraduate nursing trainees. It provides a reliable quantitative tool to evaluate mental well-being in non-clinical settings, which has important implications for mental health nursing.