Work

The construction and validation of the Rula wellbeing scale

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Inroduction Psychotherapy outcome research has traditionally emphasized symptom reduction, yet psychotherapy may also enhance eudaimonic wellbeing, including meaning, purpose, connectedness, and adaptive functioning. Despite growing interest in wellbeing as a treatment outcome, few ultra-brief measures are available for routine use in psychotherapy. The present series of studies developed and evaluated the Rula Wellbeing Scale (RWS), a four-item measure designed to assess core domains of eudaimonic wellbeing relevant to clinical practice. Methods In Study 1, exploratory factor analysis was used to refine an initial 12-item pool, resulting in a unidimensional four-item solution assessing social connectedness, daily functioning, purpose, and emotion regulation. In Study 2, confirmatory factor analysis in an independent non-clinical sample supported a single-factor structure, whereas a bifactor model was not supported. In both Study 1 & 2, the RWS demonstrated good internal consistency and expected associations with related constructs, including positive correlations with life satisfaction, flourishing, and global wellbeing, and a negative correlation with loneliness. In Study 3, the single-factor structure was replicated in a clinical sample of psychotherapy clients, and the scale demonstrated acceptable internal consistency. Results As hypothesized, the RWS scores were negatively associated with depression and anxiety. Mean scores were also lower in the clinical sample than in the non-clinical sample, supporting sensitivity to differences in wellbeing across populations. Discussion Collectively, findings provide initial support for the RWS as a psychometrically sound, ultra-brief measure of eudaimonic wellbeing. The scale may have particular utility in psychotherapy and measurement-based care contexts where brief, practical, and conceptually meaningful assessment tools are needed.

Source: Frontiers in Psychology

DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1876391