The factor structure of the HSQ by Martin et al. (2003) and some psychometric characteristics as well as gender differences in humor styles and their relationship with psychological well-being were explored in the Italian context. 242 students attending secondary high school and universities took part in the study. An Italian version of the HSQ and Ryff’s Psychological Well-Being Scales (RPWB) were used. Employing polychoric correlations, an exploratory factor analysis was conducted using the Maximum Likelihood (ML) for the extraction of factors, and the Promax for their oblique rotation. Multiple discriminant analyses and multiple linear regression were conducted in order to examine relationships among variables. The four hypothesized factors were identified, although not all items are adequately represented; scale reliabilities were appropriate, with one exception. Male participants reported more use of Aggressive style. Positive relationships were found between Affiliative and Self-Enhancing styles and negative between Aggressive and Self-Defeating. Further investigations are required in order to better understand the multifactorial nature of the HSQ and the relationships between humor styles and psychological well-being.
Keywords: Humor styles, measurement, psychological well-being, positive psychology, gender differences

Ilaria Penzo, Enrichetta Giannetti, Cristina Stefanile, Saulo Sirigatti, Humor styles and possible relationship with psychological well-being according to an Italian version of the Humor Styles Questionnaire (HSQ) in "PSICOLOGIA DELLA SALUTE" 2/2011, pp. 33-50, DOI:10.3280/PDS2011-002004