World Health Organization Well-being Index (WHO-5): a validation study on midwifery students and determination of related factors

Abstract

Introduction: Psychological well-being is a crucial aspect of mental health and can affect personal and academic achievements. Based on concerns regarding the decrease of well-being during midwifery education, early-stage determination of midwifery students’ well-being level is essential. WHO-5 has been translated into many languages and proven to be a simple, rapid, and suitable tool for depression screening in various health conditions. The aim of this study is to determine the validity and related factors of WHO-5 on midwifery students.

Material and Methods: The study was conducted on 338 midwifery students studying at various universities in Turkey. The internal consistency of the scale was assessed using Cronbach's alpha coefficient, and construct validity was assessed using confirmatory factor analysis. For criterion validity, the Beck Depression Inventory and Psychological Well-being Scale were used.

Results: It was determined that the model showed perfect fit and the one-factor structure of the scale on midwifery students was confirmed. A negative moderate level relationship (r= -0598, p=0.000) was found between the scores obtained from the WHO-5 and depression scores; and a positive moderate level relationship (r= 0.438, p=0.000) was observed between WHO-5 and psychological well-being scores. The Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient was calculated for the scale as 0.925. It was also found that students’ well-being level was related to perspectives on their life. Conclusions: The Turkish version of the WHO-5 is a reliable and valid tool for measuring psychological well-being among midwifery students.