Development of A Multi-factorial Fear of Happiness Scale for Young Adults

This study developed and tested the Fear of Happiness Scale for Young Adults (FHS-YA) to understand how young adults aged 18–26 experience fear of happiness. A total of 501 respondents from Davao del Sur, Philippines completed the survey. The data was analyzed using Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), and methods like Principal Axis Factoring (PAF) were used due to the non-normal data distribution. Four key factors were identified: Social and Emotional Avoidance (SEA), Future-Oriented Anxiety or Guilt (FOAG), Cognitive Distortion (CD), and Emotional Discomfort (ED). The scale showed excellent reliability with a Cronbach’s Alpha of 0.975. This alternative tool provides a reliable way to explore fear of happiness in young adults and can help guide future research and interventions aimed at improving emotional well-being.