Bressoud, Nicolas
ORCID
Valais University of Teacher Education, St-Maurice, Switzerland; Department of Special Education, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
Shankland, RebeccaLaboratoire DIPHE (Développement, Individu, Processus, Handicap, Education), Department of Psychology, Education and Vulnerabilities, Université Lumière Lyon 2, Lyon, France; Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France
Dubreuil, PhilippeDepartment of Human Resources Management, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, Canada
Forest, JacquesDepartment of Organization and Human Resources, ESG UQAM, Montréal, Québec, Canada
Belleville, KarelDepartment of Psychology, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
Samson, Andrea C.Department of Special Education, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland; Faculty of Psychology, UniDistance Suisse, Brig, Switzerland
Gay, PhilippeUER EN, Vaud University of teacher education, Lausanne, Switzerland
English
Background: Positive psychology focuses on enhancing attitudes and behaviors that support well-being, with a key pillar being the use of psychological strengths for optimal functioning. This is linked to positive outcomes such as increased happiness and life satisfaction.
Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric validity of the French adaptation of the Strengths Use Scale (SUS), a self-report tool measuring how individuals use their strengths in daily life. The original SUS, developed by Govindji and Linley (2007), has not been thoroughly assessed across languages and cultures.
Method: The French SUS’s psychometric properties were examined using data from six in- dependent French-speaking Canadian samples (N = 1397). After removing cases with missing data, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted on a subsample to establish the optimal factor structure. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was then performed to assess the factor structure’s goodness-of-fit.
Results: Both EFA and CFA supported a unidimensional structure of the scale. The French SUS demonstrated good internal consistency (α = .94). The one-factor model yielded an RMSEA of .122, indicating some model misspecification. However, allowing residuals of some items to covary improved the model fit (RMSEA = .077).