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Sample Heterogeneity and the Measurement Structure of the Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale

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Abstract

Several measurement assumptions were examined with the goal of assessing the validity of the Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale (MSLSS), a measure of adolescents’ satisfaction with their family, friends, living environment, school, self, and general quality of life. The data were obtained via a cross-sectional survey of 8,225 adolescents in British Columbia, Canada. Confirmatory factor and factor mixture analyses of ordinal data were used to examine the measurement assumptions. The adolescents did not respond to all the MSLSS items in a psychometrically equivalent manner. A correlated five-factor model for an abridged version of the MSLSS resulted in good fit when all negatively worded items and several positively worded items (the least invariant) were excluded. The abridged 18-item version of the MSLSS provides a promising alternative for the measurement of five life domains that are pertinent to adolescents’ quality of life.

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Acknowledgments

This research was completed with support for doctoral research from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research (MSHFR), and the Canadian Nurses Foundation. Dr. Kopec and Dr. Ratner hold Senior Scholar Awards from the MSFHR and Dr. Johnson holds a CIHR Investigator Award. Funding for the survey research was provided by the CIHR (grant #: 62980).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nursing, Trinity Western University, 7600 Glover Road, Langley, BC, V2Y 1Y1, Canada

    Richard Sawatzky

  2. School of Nursing, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada

    Pamela A. Ratner & Joy L. Johnson

  3. School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada

    Jacek A. Kopec

  4. ECPS, Measurement, Evaluation & Research Methodology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada

    Bruno D. Zumbo

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Correspondence to Richard Sawatzky.

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Sawatzky, R., Ratner, P.A., Johnson, J.L. et al. Sample Heterogeneity and the Measurement Structure of the Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale. Soc Indic Res 94, 273–296 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-008-9423-4

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