Reliability and validity of a Chinese version of PERMA-Profiler for left-behind children in rural China

To examine the reliability and validity of a Chinese version of PERMA-Profiler for left-behind children in rural China, and to provide a reliable tool for measuring their well-being. Brislin’s model was used to form a Chinese version of the PERMA-Profiler through translation, backward translation and cross-cultural adaptation. A survey was then conducted on 802 left-behind children selected using convenience sampling from rural schools in Hunan Province, China. Evidence of reliability of the test scores was evaluated by its internal consistency and test–retest reliability, validity of the test scores was evaluated by its internal structure and relations to other variables. The Chinese version of PERMA-Profiler included a total of 15 items in 5 dimensions. The Cronbach's α coefficient of the total score of the scale was .888; the Cronbach’s α coefficients of all dimensions ranged from .78 to .80; its test–retest reliability was .85. The results of confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) show that the fitting indexes of the model met the standard. The evidence based on relations to other variables show a significant positive correlation between the scale and the gold standard, indicating good validity of the scale. The Chinese version of PERMA-Profiler has good reliability and validity, and can be used for evaluating Chinese left-behind children’s well-being.