BACKGROUND: Covitality is a multidimensional hierarchical construct of core psychological strengths that synergistically promote resilience and well-being and that has been shown to be effective in preventing mental health problems in individuals of different age groups. The Covitality Model consists of 12 first-order latent factors, 4 second-order factors, and one general higher-order Covitality factor. PURPOSE: In this study, we aim at obtaining validity evidence for the assessment of Covitality in Colombian adolescents by means of the Social Emotional Health Survey-Secondary (SEHS-S). METHOD: A sample of 1461 adolescents responded the SEHS-S and four other instruments that measure well-being and distress. The internal structure of the SEHS-S was examined through confirmatory factor analyses as well as its relations with other variables. RESULTS: The hierarchical factor structure of the SEHS-S was supported (with goodness-of-fit statistics: χ2 = 1727.6, df = 578, p <
.001
RMSEA = .037
SRMSR = .044
AGFI = .962
CFI = .940
and NNFI = .935) and configural and metric invariance across gender and age was confirmed
however, the assumption of scalar invariance across males and females and across age groups was violated for some items. Furthermore, we found moderate to high correlations (r = .56 -.68) of Covitality with related constructs. CONCLUSION: As a conclusion, the SEHS-S can be considered a valid tool to assess psychological strengths, well-being, and resilience (i.e., Covitality) in Colombian adolescents, though further research is needed to explore the differences in item functioning across gender and age.