Date of Award
Summer 2018
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology
First Advisor
Melchert, Timothy
Second Advisor
Ronco, Sharron
Third Advisor
Edwards, Lisa
Abstract
The body of literature on the Arab American population is growing both in breadth and depth. A biopsychosocial perspective has been applied in a review of the research on this population revealing gaps in the area of well-being among Arab Americans. Particularly, few studies have investigated well-being as defined by positive constructs, positive psychology, subjective well-being, or psychological wellbeing. More specifically, measures of these conceptualizations of well-being beyond the deficit model have not been validated among Arab Americans. This study aims to investigate the psychometric properties of one of the most commonly used subjective well-being instruments, the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS; Diener, Emmons, Larsen, & Griffin, 1985). Results of the study found strong evidence for the validity of the SWLS among Arab Americans. Implications of these findings, limitations, and future directions are discussed.