Citation: Bradburn NM, Noll CE. The structure of psychological well-being. Chicago, IL: Aldine, 1969.
PMID or DOI: N/A
Main positive psychological well-being construct measured: Positive affect
Sub-constructs measured: N/A
Available subscales: Positive and negative affect
Description: The Affect Balance Scale assesses positive and negative affect as indicators of life satisfaction and general well-being.
Number of items: 10 total items; 5 items assess positive affect, 5 items assess negative affect
Examples of statement/items: “During the past few weeks, did you ever feel that things were going your way?”
Response options: 1 “Yes”, 0 “No”
Total score: Items are summed, yielding a range from 0 to 5 for each subscale. Higher scores indicate greater levels of positive and higher negative affect, respectively. Note: the “Affect Balance” score, which is the difference between Positive Affect and Negative Affect scores, is sometimes used as an indicator of overall happiness.
Examples of studies:
1. Nabi, H., et al., Positive and negative affect and risk of coronary heart disease: Whitehall II prospective cohort study. Bmj, 2008. 337: p. a118.