A Polish adaptation of the Self-Assessed Wisdom Scale (SAWS) in older adults

Psychiatr Pol. 2022 Jun 28:1-19. doi: 10.12740/PP/OnlineFirst/148203. Online ahead of print.
[Article in English, Polish]

Abstract

Objectives: The paper presents the results of work on the Polish adaptation of the Self-Assessed Wisdom Scale (SAWS). It presents the psychometric properties of the Polish version of the tool.

Methods: The research was quantitative in nature and it was carried out in a correlation scheme. The respondents completed a set of questionnaires. 880 subjects aged 60-80 years (M = 68.15; SD = 5.96) participated in the study. Apart from the SAWS six other psychological methods were used. The selection of measuring tools was purposeful.

Results: The final Polish version of the SAWS consists of 40 items (including 36 diagnostic ones) that make up 5 dimensions of wisdom: (1) "Critical Life Experience", (2) "Emotional Regulation", (3) "Reminiscence and Reflectiveness",(4) "Openness" and (5) "Humor". The reliability index for the entire scale (36 items) was α = 0.92 (very high). Reliability values (Cronbach's α) for individual scales vary from α = 0.60 to α = 0.84. The validity of the scale was evaluated by means of confirmatory analysis.

Conclusions: The results are consistent with the original version of the scale, thus it has been indicated that the Polish version of the SAWS fulfils the psychometric requirements for psychological tests. The scale can be applied in scientific research.

Keywords: Polish adaptation; older people; wisdom.