Preliminary psychometric analysis of holistic wellbeing among diverse college students

Objective: This study examined the psychometric properties and preliminary validity of a nine-item evaluative scale designed to capture holistic wellbeing among college students. Participants: Data came from 197 racially/ethnically, socioeconomically, and educationally diverse full-time undergraduates, primarily from a large public university. Methods: Exploratory factor analysis with principal axis factoring and Promax rotation assessed structural validity and internal consistency, while preliminary nomological validity was examined through correlations and mean differences across academic and demographic characteristics. Results: A reliable single-factor solution emerged (α = .86), explaining 41.3% of the variance and supporting a unidimensional construct of evaluative holistic wellbeing. Significant differences were observed by year in college, GPA, household income, first-generation status, and race/ethnicity. Conclusions: Findings provide preliminary support for an evaluative holistic wellbeing factor that captures students’ satisfaction across life domains and meaningfully differentiates wellbeing across diverse student populations.