Measuring Subjective Well-Being In An Understudied Population Of Young Western-African Idps And Refugees

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to report a real-life empirical case and discuss some caveats emerged in measuring subjective well-being (SWB) in an understudied population of adolescents refugees from West Africa.Design/methodology/approachDuring the process of translation and cultural adaptation of the subjective well-being assessment scale in the target population, the model of measurement presented some weakness with regard to content validity criteria.FindingsThis leads to a partial revision of the model and the development of new locally-based domains of SWB.Originality/valueContext-specific factors' robustness showed the dynamic and culture-informed nature of the SWB construct. Practical and theoretical implications of using quantitative questionnaires in non-western contexts characterized by high grades of insecurity and instability will be discussed.