Italian Validation of the Meaning in Life Questionnaire: Factor Structure, Reliability, Convergent, and Discriminant Validity

Several studies highlighted the role of meaning in life as a major component of well-being and researchers have developed different measures to assess the features of this construct. In the present study, the psychometric properties of the Meaning in Life Questionnaire were investigated in the Itali...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Psychological reports 2020-04, Vol.123 (2), p.578-600
Main Authors: Negri, Luca, Bassi, Marta, Delle Fave, Antonella
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Factor Analysis, Statistical
Female
Humans
Italy
Male
Middle Aged
Personal Satisfaction
Psychometrics - instrumentation
Psychometrics - standards
Quality of Life
Reproducibility of Results
Young Adult
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Summary:Several studies highlighted the role of meaning in life as a major component of well-being and researchers have developed different measures to assess the features of this construct. In the present study, the psychometric properties of the Meaning in Life Questionnaire were investigated in the Italian context. The Meaning in Life Questionnaire is a 10-item scale measuring perceived presence of and search for meaning in life, conceptualized as two separate factors. The former refers to perceived meaning and purpose in life, the latter to the active commitment to find meaning in life. Participants were 464 adults aged 20 to 60 years (M = 39.34; SD = 10.86; 54.7% women). Factor structure was inspected through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses using a split-sample approach. Internal consistency was assessed through Cronbach’s alphas, interitem and item-scale correlations. Convergent and discriminant validity with measures of well-being, personality, mental health, and physical health were also evaluated. Factor analyses supported the adequacy of the Meaning in Life Questionnaire two-factor structure in the Italian context; internal consistency measures corroborated the measure’s reliability; and correlation matrix coefficients sustained convergent and discriminant validity. Results showed that the Meaning in Life Questionnaire is a valid and reliable measure to assess meaning in life and its relationship with well-being within the Italian context.
ISSN:0033-2941
1558-691X
DOI:10.1177/0033294118821302