# Validation Study of the Spanish Version of the Measure of Happiness (MH) Questionnaire

## TL;DR

This study validates a Spanish version of a happiness questionnaire, confirming its reliability and five-factor structure.

## Contribution

The study adapts and validates the Measure of Happiness questionnaire for Spanish speakers, confirming its psychometric properties.

## Key findings

- The Spanish version of the MH questionnaire retains a five-factor structure with one item reallocated.
- The questionnaire showed strong convergent and discriminant validity with related psychological constructs.
- MH factors correlated as expected with quality of life, happiness, anxiety, and depression.

## Abstract

This study aims to validate the Spanish version of the Measure of Happiness (MH), a questionnaire that identifies the specific areas of an individual’s life that are related to experienced happiness. The sample consisted of 458 Spanish native speakers (65.7% women, 34.3% men; mean age = 24.14, SD = 8.45) and was divided into two groups: Sample 1 (N = 226) underwent Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), and Sample 2 (N = 232) underwent Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). The convergent and discriminant validity of the Spanish version of the MH and its subscales was assessed by calculating Pearson correlations between the MH factors and the Subjective Happiness Scale, the State–Trait Anxiety Inventory, the Beck Depression Inventory, and the WHOQOL-BREF. The EFA and CFA confirmed the original five-factor structure of the MH questionnaire. The only difference in the Spanish version of the MH is that Item 4, which was originally assigned to Factor 2 “Financial Status”, was reallocated to Factor 1 “Psychophysical Status”. The reliability of the Spanish version of the MH questionnaire was also confirmed, and the factors correlated in the expected direction with the constructs of quality of life, happiness, anxiety, and depression. The MH questionnaire demonstrated excellent psychometric properties among Spanish respondents.