WLS Codebooks

Note: Codebooks contain frequency data from the private data release. For some variables, these differ from the frequencies in the public release. Variables that differ between the public and private versions include "(not available on public release)" as part of the variable description, or a note indicating the difference between the public and private versions.

Phone: Psychological Well-Being

GPSY Psychological Well-Being (PWB) Module

For more information on the Psychological Well-Being Module see Appendix K.

OVERVIEW

The purpose of the PWB variables for the 2004 phone administration is purely
methodological.  In 1993 we found that the PWB phone items had unexpected
bimodal distributions and confirmatory factor analyses of these items was not
consistent with that of analyses done on mail items in the WLS, MIDUS or NSFH. 

In 1993 the PWB items were asked using an unfolding technique, meaning that
respondents were first asked whether they agreed or disagreed with each
statement and then were asked a follow-up question about whether they
(dis)agreed strongly, moderately or slightly.  With only the 1993 data we don't
know whether the unfolding technique or the phone administration is driving the
anomalous results.  Our PWB module in 2004 is designed to answer this question
because respondents will not be given the unfolding technique, but rather will
be asked to choose from the following list of response categories: strongly
agree, moderately agree, slightly agree, slightly disagree, moderately
disagree, or strongly disagree.  This module is being given to an 80% subsample
of replicate 3.

Also, in 1993, the first 12 of the individual PWB items were on the phone
instrument and the last 6 were part of the mail instrument.  In 2004, all 18
individual items are on the telephone instrument, so new phone variables have
been created for the last 6.  (NOTE:  There is also a completely separate set
of PWB items on the 2003 mail instrument which are not part of the current
methodological study.  Researchers wishing to use measures of psychological
well-being should use these mail items.  The mail PWB items have been given to
all replicates, unlike the telephone PWB items, which are given only to
replicate 3.)

The following types of variables are included in this module:

    a.  Variable for whether the person was included in the PWB sample 
        (n=1)
    b.  Constructed variables with the total PWB score for each PWB 
        sub-dimension (n=6)
    c.  Constructed variables detailing how many items were answered 
        for each PWB sub-dimension (n=6)
    d.  Constructed variable with the total PWB score (n=1)
    e.  Constructed variable detailing how many PWB items were 
        answered (n=1)
    f.  Individual PWB items (n=18)


BRIEF VARIABLE DESCRIPTIONS

    GN101RE:                Sample Selection Flag.

    GN102REC,GN103REC:      Total Score for Autonomy and Number of 
                            Autonomy Questions Answered.

    GN104REC,GN105REC:      Total Score for Environmental Mastery 
                            and Number of Environmental Mastery Questions 
                            Answered.

    GN106REC,GN107REC:      Total Score for Personal Growth and Number of
                            Personal Growth Questions Answered.

    GN108REC,GN109REC:      Total Score for Positive Relations with Others
                            and Number of Positive Relations Questions 
                            Answered.

    GN110REC,GN111REC:      Total Score for Purpose in Life and Number of
                            Purpose in Life Questions Answered.

    GN112REC,GN113REC:      Total Score for Self-Acceptance and Number of
                            Self-Acceptance Questions Answered.

    GN114REC,GN115REC:      Total Score for Psychological Well-Being
                            and Number of Psychological Well-Being 
                            Questions Answered.

    GN116RE-GN133RE:        Individual Questions for the Psychological 
                            Well-Being Scale.

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