Development and Validation of the Growth Mindset Scale in the Older Adult Population

Abstract

Previous research highlights the integral role of growth mindset in active aging among older adults. However, the traditional growth mindset scale mainly applies to children, adolescents, and adults, and does not apply to older adults. Incorporating the active aging theory, the research aims to explore the growth mindset scale’s structure and applicability among older adults. We employed four studies for scale development and validation. In study 1, semi-structured interviews with 30 older adults formed the initial item pool. In study 2, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) with 295 older adults assessed construct validity. A parallel analysis using principal axis factoring (PAF) was conducted to determine the factor structure. In study 3, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed on 280 older adults. In study 4, we assessed the test–retest reliability and predictive effect of the scale. The scale’s overall Cronbach’s α was 0.87. Factor analysis resulted in an 11-item scale with four factors. The results showed that the 4-factor CFA model fitting index reached a significant standard for a well-fitting model (RMSEA = 0.058, $$\:{\chi\:}^{2}$$ /df = 1.942, PGFI = 0.548, CFI = 0.988, SRMR = 0.019). The scale had moderate test–retest reliability (r = 0.601; ICC = 0.601). Growth mindset had a significant positive predictive effect on older adults’ active health behaviors (β = 0.256, p < 0.01) and subjective well-being (β = 0.306, p < 0.05). The scale provides a more comprehensive assessment framework that better reflects older adults’ growth mindset in various aspects. The scale will serve as a more effective tool for future research on growth mindset in older adults, contributing to the advancement of growth mindset theory in aging studies.

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