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. 2013 Apr 23;8(4):e61534.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0061534. Print 2013.

Multi-country evaluation of affective experience: validation of an abbreviated version of the day reconstruction method in seven countries

José Luis Ayuso-Mateos  1 , Marta Miret, Francisco Félix Caballero, Beatriz Olaya, Josep Maria Haro, Paul Kowal, Somnath Chatterji
Affiliations

Multi-country evaluation of affective experience: validation of an abbreviated version of the day reconstruction method in seven countries

José Luis Ayuso-Mateos et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Background: The Day Reconstruction Method (DRM) was developed to assess affective states as measures of experienced well-being. The present study aimed to validate an abbreviated version of the DRM in a representative sample of the population in seven countries (China, Ghana, India, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, and Spain), and to examine whether there are country differences in affect and in the relationships among the activities based on the similarity of the affect associated with each of them.

Methods: Interviews were conducted with 47,222 non-institutionalized adults from seven countries, using an abbreviated version of the DRM. A cluster analysis was carried out to classify activities on the basis of the similarity of the associated affect. In each country, the factorial structure of the affect adjectives was tested through Confirmatory Factor Analysis. Internal consistency and construct validity were also assessed. Moreover, the differences in affect across countries and the diurnal cycles of affect were evaluated.

Results: The DRM showed adequate psychometric properties regarding reliability and construct validity in all countries. Respondents from Ghana and South Africa reported more positive net affect whereas Indian respondents reported less positive net affect. Most of the countries showed a similar diurnal variation of affect, which tended to improve throughout the day.

Conclusions: The results show that this abbreviated version of the DRM is a useful tool for multi-country evaluation of experienced well-being.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Diurnal variation of net affect in each country.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Diurnal variation of positive and negative affect in each country.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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