The Spanish Version of the Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (SWEMWBS): Evidence on Validity, Reliability, and Test of a Processual Model of Physicians' Well-Being.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The first aim of this manuscript is to examine the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (SWEMWBS) in a sample of Spanish physicians. The second aim is to analyze how physicians' levels of compassion for others, professional quality of life, depression, anxiety, and stress are related to well-being. METHODS: The study is part of a randomized controlled trial with a mixed design. The inclusion criteria for participation in the study were: (a) physicians registered in Spain; (b) currently working in Spain; and (c) those who voluntarily agreed to participate. A total of 221 medical doctors were enrolled in one of the three experimental conditions. RESULTS: The confirmatory factor analysis showed an adequate fit. Cronbach's alpha (0.83) and McDonald's omega (0.89) provided evidence of reliability. Finally, when the mediational model predicting physicians' well-being was tested, the examination of the modification indices indicated an unmodeled relationship. A second model was tested, resulting in a better-fitting model. Physicians' levels of compassion for others significantly predicted compassion satisfaction. Professional quality of life also predicted physicians' emotional states. Finally, well-being was predicted by depression and stress, and a direct effect of compassion was also found. CONCLUSIONS: The SWEMWBS shows potential to become a standard measure of well-being in the Spanish language. Regarding the prediction of well-being, it seems clear that interventions based on compassion should have a place in physicians' education and workplace settings.