Introduction:

the well-being of the elderly is a priority of the health system, that is why valid and reliable instruments are necessary for its evaluation.

Objective:

to validate the Carol Ryff’s Psychological Well-Being Scale in a sample of older adults from Villa Clara province, Cuba with a presumptive diagnosis of knee osteoarthritis.

Methods:

a quantitative and instrumental research was assumed. The sample selection was probabilistic, made up of 170 older adults with this condition. The Carol Ryff’s Psychological Well-Being Scale was applied (42 items); statistical tests were used for information processing such as Cronbach's alpha coefficient and Exploratory Factor Analysis.

Results:

a coherent factorial structure of 5 factors was determined: self-acceptance, purpose in life, environmental mastery, autonomy, and positive relationships with others. A high internal consistency of the global scale and its dimensions were observed, as well as adequate inter-item correlations.

Conclusion:

the instrument has adequate psychometric properties and allows us to evaluate the construct in this population.