Physical activity and affect of the elderly: Contribution to the validation of the Positive and Negative Affect Shedule (PANAS) in the Portuguese population

Abstract

The concept of affect corresponds to the emotional dimension of subjective well-being (Diener, Emmons, Larsen, & Griffin, 1985). It is represented by two dimensions (negative affect and positive affect), which were the basis of the development of the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule - PANAS (Watson, Clark, & Tellegen, 1988). It was translated and validated for the Portuguese population by Galinha and Pais-Ribeiro (2005b). Nevertheless, because the Portuguese version was not validated in a sample of Portuguese elderly, the goals of this study consisted in the translation of the scale (PANAS) from the original version of 20 items and the validation of its measurement model (including a shortened version) for a sample of Portuguese elderly (n = 311), aged 60 years or older (M = 68.53; DP = 6.69); it was then tested by a confirmatory factorial analysis. The results demonstrated that the measurement model (two factors and 10 items) of the shortened Portuguese version of the PANAS presented acceptable psychometric qualities, which adjusted to the data in a satisfactory way (factorial weights ranging between .57 and .70 in positive affect and between .52 and .68 in negative affect). We also concluded that older adults who practice more physical activity perceive higher levels of positive affect F(2, 297) = 3,78, p < .05; η2 = .025, and lower levels of negative affect F (2, 297) = 6,24, p < .001; η2 = .040).