Confirmatory Factor Analytic Structure and Measurement Invariance of the Brief Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale (BMSLSS) in a Longitudinal Sample of Adolescents

Abstract

Subjective well-being has been overlooked in mental health screening and assessment which are based primarily, if not exclusively, on the medical disease model. Life satisfaction is often employed as an indicator of subjective well-being as it extends beyond momentary affective experiences to include a reflective and evaluative perspective of life in its totality. This study examines the confirmatory factor analytic structure and measurement invariance of the Brief Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale (BMSLSS), a 5-item self-report measure designed to measure general life satisfaction, across a one-year time interval in school samples of adolescents. Results indicate acceptable test-retest reliability and high internal consistency over time. The one-factor model has an approximate but close fit to the data collected, which is consistent with underlying theoretical framework and prior empirical findings. Tests of measurement equivalence support strict invariance, indicating that the means and variances of the BMSLSS remained invariant across a one-year interval.