Psychometric properties of the Purpose In Life-Short Form in the Spanish population.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to analyze the psychometric properties of the Purpose in Life Test-Short Form (PIL-SF), a brief self-report measure of the presence of meaning in life (MiL). Participants were 349 nonclinical Spanish undergraduates (225 women, 64.5%, and 124 men, 35.5%), age ranged between 18 and 26 years (M = 20.85; SD = 2.16). The PIL-SF, the Seeking of Noetic Goals-8 Items (SONG-8), the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), and the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire (OHQ) were used. Descriptive analysis, estimation of the internal consistency, and Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the PIL-SF were conducted, and correlations between the PIL-SF and the SONG-8, the SWLS, and the OHQ were calculated. The PIL-SF showed good internal consistency and an excellent fit as a unidimensional scale confirming its factorial structure. Regarding construct validity, correlations between the PIL-SF and SWLS (r= 0.59) and OHQ (r = 0.56) were positive, significant (p < 0.001), while correlation between PIL-SF and SONG-8 was negative, significant (r = -0.23, p < 0.001). The Spanish adaptation of PIL-SF seems to be a valid measure of MiL with good internal consistency.