Protocol - General Well-being
- Educational Attainment - Individual
- Emotional State - Adult
- Emotional State - Child
- History of Head Trauma
- Physical, Social, and Mental Health Functioning (SF-36V2)
Description
The General Well Being Schedule (GWB) is an 18-item, self-administered questionnaire that was developed for the U.S. Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (HANES I). The GWB includes positive and negative questions across six dimensions: positive well-being, self-control, vitality, depression, anxiety, and general health. Each item has the time frame "during the last month," and the first 14 questions use 6-point response scales representing intensity or frequency. The remaining four questions use 0-10 rating scales defined by adjectives at each end. The polarity of items 1, 3, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, and 16 is reversed for scoring, and items within each subscale are added together. Lower scores reflect distress and higher scores reflect positive well-being.
Specific Instructions
None
Availability
Protocol
The General Well-Being Schedule
Read: This section of the examination contains questions about how you feel and how things have been going with you. For each question, mark (X) beside the answer which best applies to you.
1. How have you been feeling in general? (DURING THE PAST MONTH)
1[ ]In excellent spirits
2[ ]In very good spirits
3[ ]In good spirits mostly
4[ ]I have been up and down in spirits a lot
5[ ]In low spirits mostly
6[ ]In very low spirits
2. Have you been bothered by nervousness or your "nerves"? (DURING THE PAST MONTH)
1[ ]Extremely so-to the point where I could not work or take care of things
2[ ]Very much so
3[ ]Quite a bit
4[ ]Some-enough to bother me
5[ ]A little
6[ ]Not at all
3. Have you been in firm control of your behavior, thoughts, emotions, or feelings? (DURING THE PAST MONTH)
1[ ]Yes, definitely so
2[ ]Yes, for the most part
3[ ]Generally so
4[ ]Some-enough to bother me
5[ ]A little
6[ ]Not at all
4. Have you felt so sad, discourages, hopeless, or had so many problems that you wondered if anything was worthwhile? (DURING THE PAST MONTH)
1[ ]Extremely so-to the point that I have just about given up
2[ ]Very much so
3[ ]Quite a bit
4[ ]Some-enough to bother me
5[ ]A little bit
6[ ]Not at all
5. Have you been under or felt you were under any strain, stress, or pressure? (DURING THE PAST MONTH)
1[ ]Yes-almost more than I could bear or stand
2[ ]Yes-quite a bit of pressure
3[ ]Yes-some, more than usual
4[ ]Yes-some, but about usual
5[ ]Yes-a little
6[ ]Not at all
6. How happy, satisfied, or pleased have you been with your personal life? (DURING THE PAST MONTH)
1[ ]Extremely happy-could not have been more satisfied or pleased
2[ ]Very happy
3[ ]Fairly happy
4[ ]Satisfied-pleased
5[ ]Somewhat dissatisfied
6[ ]Very dissatisfied
7. Have you had any reason to wonder if you were losing your mind, or losing control over the way you act, talk, think, feel, or of your memory? (DURING THE PAST MONTH)
1[ ]Not at all
2[ ]Only a little
3[ ]Some-but not enough to be concerned or worried about
4[ ]Some, and I have been a little concerned
5[ ]Some, and I am quite concerned
6[ ]Yes, very much so, and I am very concerned
8. Have you been anxious, worried, or upset? (DURING THE PAST MONTH)
1[ ]Extremely so-to the point of being sick or almost sick
2[ ]Very much so
3[ ]Quite a bit
4[ ]Some-enough to bother me
5[ ]A little bit
6[ ]Not at all
9. Have you been waking up fresh and rested? (DURING THE PAST MONTH)
1[ ]Every day
2[ ]Most every day
3[ ]Fairly often
4[ ]Less than half the time
5[ ]Rarely
6[ ]None of the time
10. Have you been bothered by any illness, bodily disorder, pains, or fears about your health? (DURING THE PAST MONTH)
1[ ]All the time
2[ ]Most of the time
3[ ]A good bit of the time
4[ ]Some of the time
5[ ]A little of the time
6[ ]None of the time
11. Has your daily life been full of things that were interesting to you? (DURING THE PAST MONTH)
1[ ]All the time
2[ ]Most of the time
3[ ]A good bit of the time
4[ ]Some of the time
5[ ]A little of the time
6[ ]None of the time
12. Have you felt down hearted and blue? (DURING THE PAST MONTH)
1[ ]All the time
2[ ]Most of the time
3[ ]A good bit of the time
4[ ]Some of the time
5[ ]A little of the time
6[ ]None of the time
13. Have you been feeling emotionally stable and sure of yourself? (DURING THE PAST MONTH)
1[ ]All the time
2[ ]Most of the time
3[ ]A good bit of the time
4[ ]Some of the time
5[ ]A little of the time
6[ ]None of the time
14. Have you felt tired, worn out, used-up, or exhausted? (DURING THE PAST MONTH)
1[ ]All the time
2[ ]Most of the time
3[ ]A good bit of the time
4[ ]Some of the time
5[ ]A little of the time
6[ ]None of the time
For each of the four scales below, note that the words at each end of the 0 to 10 scale describe opposite feelings. Circle any number along which seems closest to how you have generally felt? (DURING THE PAST MONTH)
15. How concerned or worried about your HEALTH have you been? (DURING THE PAST MONTH)
0[ ]Not concerned at all
1[ ]
2[ ]
3[ ]
4[ ]
5[ ]
6[ ]
7[ ]
8[ ]
9[ ]
10[ ]Very concerned
16. How RELEAXED or TENSE have you been? (DURING THE PAST MONTH)
0[ ]Very relaxed
1[ ]
2[ ]
3[ ]
4[ ]
5[ ]
6[ ]
7[ ]
8[ ]
9[ ]
10[ ]Very tense
17. How much ENERGY, PEP, and VITALITY have you felt? (DURING THE PAST MONTH)
0[ ]No energy AT ALL listless
1[ ]
2[ ]
3[ ]
4[ ]
5[ ]
6[ ]
7[ ]
8[ ]
9[ ]
10[ ]Very ENERGETIC, dynamic
18. How DEPRESSED or CHEERFUL have you been? (DURING THE PAST MONTH)
0[ ]Very depressed
1[ ]
2[ ]
3[ ]
4[ ]
5[ ]
6[ ]
7[ ]
8[ ]
9[ ]
10[ ]Very cheerful
Scoring:
Items 1, 3, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, and 16 are reverse scored. Because these items are reverse scored, 14 is subtracted from the total score to give a range of 0-110. There are three proposed cut-points: total scores of 0-60 reflect "severe distress," 61-72 "moderate distress," and 73-110 "positive well-being".
Six sub-scores can be derived.
| Subscore Label | Question topics |
| Anxiety | 2. nervousness 5. strain, stress, or pressure 8. anxious, worried, upset 16. relaxed, tense |
| Depression | 4. sad, discouraged, hopeless 12. down-hearted, blue 18. depressed |
| Positive well-being | 1. feeling in general 6. happy, satisfied with life 11. interesting daily life |
| Self-control | 3. firm control of behavior, emotions 7. afraid losing mind, or losing control 13. emotionally stable, sure of self |
| Vitality | 9. waking fresh, rested 14. feeling tired, worn out 17. energy level |
| General health | 10. bothered by illness 15. concerned, worried about health |
Personnel and Training Required
None
Equipment Needs
None
Requirements
| Requirement Category | Required |
|---|---|
| Major equipment | No |
| Specialized training | No |
| Specialized requirements for biospecimen collection | No |
| Average time of greater than 15 minutes in an unaffected individual | No |
Mode of Administration
Self-administered questionnaire
Lifestage
Adult
Participants
Adults, ages 18 and older
Selection Rationale
The General Well-Being Schedule (GWB) is a brief, reliable, valid, and widely used self-administered questionnaire that addresses subjective well-being. Traumatic events, with or without subsequent post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), can affect the sense of well-being, and the GWB addresses this important dimension of post-traumatic adjustment.
Language
English
Standards
| Standard | Name | ID | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| caDSR Form | PhenX PX630701 - General Wellbeing | 6231661 | caDSR Form |
Derived Variables
None
Process and Review
Not applicable.
Protocol Name from Source
The General Well Being Schedule (GWB)
Source
Fazio, A. F. (1977). A concurrent validational study of the NCHS General Well-Being Schedule. Hyattsville, Maryland: U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare, National Center for Health Statistics.
General References
Dupuy, H. J. (1978). Self-representations of general psychological well-being of American adults. Paper presented at American Public Health Association Meeting, Los Angeles, CA..
Poston, W. S. C. II, Olvera, N. E., Yanez C., et al. (1998). Evacuation of the factor structure and psychometric characteristics of the General Well-Being Schedule (GWB) with Mexican American women. Women Health, 27, 51-64.
Taylor, J. E., Poston, W. S. C. II, Haddock, C. K., et al. (2003). Psychometric characteristics of the General Well-Being Schedule (GWB) with African-American women. Quality of Life Research, 12, 31-39.
Protocol ID
630701
Variables
Export Variables| Variable Name | Variable ID | Variable Description | dbGaP Mapping | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PX630701_Anxious_Worried_Upset | ||||
| PX630701080000 | Have you been anxious, worried, or upset? more | N/A | ||
| PX630701_Bothered_Illness_HealthFears | ||||
| PX630701100000 | Have you been bothered by any illness, more | N/A | ||
| PX630701_Bothered_Nerves | ||||
| PX630701020000 | Have you been bothered by nervousness or more | Variable Mapping | ||
| PX630701_Control_Behavior_Feelings | ||||
| PX630701030000 | Have you been in firm control of your more | Variable Mapping | ||
| PX630701_Daily_Life_Interesting | ||||
| PX630701110000 | Has your daily life been full of things that more | N/A | ||
| PX630701_Depressed_Or_Cheerful | ||||
| PX630701180000 | How DEPRESSED or CHEERFUL have you been? more | N/A | ||
| PX630701_Energy_Vitality | ||||
| PX630701170000 | For each of the four scales below, note that more | Variable Mapping | ||
| PX630701_Feeling_Emotionally_Stable | ||||
| PX630701130000 | Have you been feeling emotionally stable and more | N/A | ||
| PX630701_Feeling_General | ||||
| PX630701010000 | How have you been feeling in general? more | N/A | ||
| PX630701_Felt_Downhearted_Blue | ||||
| PX630701120000 | Have you felt down hearted and blue? (DURING more | Variable Mapping | ||
| PX630701_Felt_Sad_Problems | ||||
| PX630701040000 | Have you felt so sad, discourages, hopeless, more | N/A | ||
| PX630701_Felt_Tired_Exhausted | ||||
| PX630701140000 | Have you felt tired, worn out, used-up, or more | Variable Mapping | ||
| PX630701_Happy_Personal_Life | ||||
| PX630701060000 | How happy, satisfied, or pleased have you more | Variable Mapping | ||
| PX630701_Losing_Mind | ||||
| PX630701070000 | Have you had any reason to wonder if you more | N/A | ||
| PX630701_Relaxed_Or_Tense | ||||
| PX630701160000 | For each of the four scales below, note that more | N/A | ||
| PX630701_Stress_Pressure | ||||
| PX630701050000 | Have you been under or felt you were under more | Variable Mapping | ||
| PX630701_Waking_Up_Fresh | ||||
| PX630701090000 | Have you been waking up fresh and rested? more | N/A | ||
| PX630701_Worried_Health | ||||
| PX630701150000 | For each of the four scales below, note that more | N/A | ||
Measure Name
General Well-being
Release Date
November 21, 2014
Definition
A questionnaire to measure subjective feelings of psychological well-being and distress.
Purpose
This measure is used to assess "inner personal state" on a dimension ranging from positive well-being to distress. It complements instruments that assess external resources and conditions such as income, work environment, or neighborhood.
Keywords
Nervousness, behavior, stress, Hopeless, post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD, Strain, anxiety, pain, Fear, well-being, distress, trauma
Measure Protocols
| Protocol ID | Protocol Name |
|---|---|
| 630701 | General Well-being |
Publications
There are no publications listed for this protocol.