Brazilian Adaptation and Factor Structure of the 240-item VIA Inventory of Strengths Scale

Abstract The aims of this study were: (1) to perform the cross-cultural adaptation of the 240-item VIA Inventory of Strengths (VIA-IS) to use in Brazil; (2) to investigate the factor structure of the VIA-IS in a Brazilian sample; and (3) to conduct descriptive analyses of strengths scores in the VIA-IS in the Brazilian sample. The cross-cultural adaptation provided a Brazilian-Portuguese version of the VIA-IS that is similar to the original version of the instrument. The descriptive and factor structure analysis were conducted in a sample of 1.975 Brazilians, with a mean age of 35.0 years old (SD = 10.8). Results suggest that the instrument should be used as a unidimensional measure of strengths and virtues. The sample presented high scores in all strengths assessed, and women scored higher than men in the majority of the strengths. We discuss implications for the assessment of strengths and virtues in Positive Psychology using the VIA-IS in the Brazilian context.