Scale-Description

The PANAS-60 consists of 60 questions and is an extended version of the original PANAS scale, which includes 20 questions. The scale contains two dimensions of emotions: Positive Affect (PA) and Negative Affect (NA). Participants are asked to rate the extent to which they have experienced specific emotions, such as “happiness,” “enthusiasm,” “anxiety,” or “anger,” within a given time frame (e.g., the past week).

Positive Affect: Assesses feelings related to energy, concentration, and pleasure.

Negative Affect: Assesses feelings associated with distress, anxiety, and negative mood.

Data Analysis and Usage

The data collected from the PANAS-60 is analyzed to determine the level of positive and negative emotional experiences of an individual. Participants respond using a Likert-type scale (usually 5 points) to rate how frequently or intensely they have felt specific emotions.

Key data analyses include:

Calculating total scores for the positive and negative dimensions, where high scores in the positive dimension indicate greater well-being, while high scores in the negative dimension suggest increased stress or anxiety.

Reliability analysis, such as calculating Cronbach’s alpha, to assess the internal consistency of the two subscales.

Correlation analysis to explore the relationships between positive and negative affect and other psychological variables, such as depression, anxiety, or self-esteem.

The scale can be used in research related to mental health, mood, personal development, and the evaluation of interventions in psychological therapies.

Purpose

The goal of the Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS-60) is to measure the intensity and frequency of positive and negative emotions experienced by individuals. Specifically, the scale aims to:

Understand emotional patterns and mood fluctuations.

Assess mental health by monitoring emotional well-being or distress.

Study the effects of various psychological or social factors on well-being and quality of life.

Calibration

The calibration of the PANAS-60 involves the following:

Reliability analysis to confirm the stability of responses across all dimensions.

Confirmatory factor analysis to evaluate the structure of the two dimensions (positive and negative affect).

Cross-validation of the scale across different populations to ensure its validity and generalizability in diverse cultural and social groups.

Bibliography

Watson, D., Clark, L. A., & Tellegen, A. (1988). Development and validation of brief measures of positive and negative affect: The PANAS scales. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 54(6), 1063-1070.

Crawford, J. R., & Henry, J. D. (2004). The Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS): Construct validity, measurement properties, and normative data in a large non-clinical sample. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 43(3), 245-265.

Mackinnon, A., Henderson, A. S., & Andrews, G. (1993). The PANAS as a measure of the continuum in mood states in the general population. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 28(2), 86-90.