Exploring the associations among encouragement, character strengths in the values in action classification and subjective well-being among selected Chinese adolescents: A bifactor model and commonality analysis

Encouragement has recently been coined to denote individual differences in enjoying and being adept at communicating affirmations to motivate others. However, research focusing on the optimum factor structure of encouragement, as well as on whether encouragement is distinct from other strengths in the values in action (VIA) framework, is limited. To address these gaps, we first examined whether the bifactor solution is an appropriate factor structure for encouragement among Chinese adolescents. Next, we examined the unique and common effects of encouragement and strengths in the VIA classification in predicting subjective well-being based on the bifactor model and commonality analysis approaches. A sample of 499 Chinese adolescents completed the Chinese version of the Encouragement Character Strength Scale, the Chinese Virtue Questionnaire, and the Chinese version of the Mental Health Continuum-Short Form and provided demographic characteristics. The results indicated that the bifactor solution identified a factor reflecting Chinese adolescents' overall levels of encouragement, alongside factors reflecting their perceived capacity to encourage others and enjoy providing encouragement. We found that the overall general factor rather than two specific factors (i.e., perceived ability and enjoyment) of encouragement was positively related to subjective well-being in addition to the covariates. Using a commonality analysis, we found that the overlap of encouragement and each strength in the VIA classification resulted in negligible-to-moderate variance in subjective well-being, and encouragement resulted in (nearly) moderate variance in subjective well-being. These findings show both overlaps and distinctions between the encouragement and strengths listed in the VIA classification, providing significant implications for cultivating the character strength and subjective well-being of Chinese adolescents.