Exploratory factor Analysis on Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) with Army Veterans Sample in Malaysia

Abstract

The objectives of this study are to explore the reliability and factor structure of Satisfaction with Life Scales (SWLS) in measuring satisfaction with life at retirement among army veterans. SWLS is a unidimensional factor comprising five items to measure life satisfaction based on a respondent’s subjective evaluation of his own satisfaction of life that he experiences in general. The SWLS has been extensively used across many countries employing different types of samples. However, little is known on the items of SWLS for a sample of army veterans in Malaysia. In this study, the sample consists of pensionable other-ranks (Ors) army veterans (n=101) who had attended resettlement training prior to their retirement. Questionnaires were administered via mailed survey at the pilot test stage. A stratified random sampling was employed in the sample selection. The result on exploratory factor analysis indicated that only four out of five items conformed to the scale. The Satisfaction with Life Scale showed good internal consistency with an alpha value of 0.858 for its reliability. The reliability and items of SWLS scales discovered in the study indicate that SWLS is a promising reliable scale for data collection from army veterans.