Psychometric properties of the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS): secondary analysis of the Mexican Health and Aging Study.

Mariana López-Ortega,Oscar Rosas-Carrasco,Sara Torres-Castro

doi:10.1186/s12955-016-0573-9

Abstract

BackgroundThe Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) has been widely used and has proven to be a valid and reliable instrument for assessing satisfaction with life in diverse population groups, however, research on satisfaction with life and validation of different measuring instruments in Mexican adults is still lacking. The objective was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) in a representative sample of Mexican adults.MethodsThis is a methodological study to evaluate a satisfaction with life scale in a sample of 13,220 Mexican adults 50 years of age or older from the 2012 Mexican Health and Aging Study. The scale’s reliability (internal consistency) was analysed using Cronbach’s alpha and inter-item correlations. An exploratory factor analysis was also performed. Known-groups validity was evaluated comparing good-health and bad-health participants. Comorbidity, perceived financial situation, self-reported general health, depression symptoms, and social support were included to evaluate the validity between these measures and the total score of the scale using Spearman’s correlations.ResultsThe analysis of the scale’s reliability showed good internal consistency (α = 0.74). The exploratory factor analysis confirmed the existence of a unique factor structure that explained 54% of the variance. SWLS was related to depression, perceived health, financial situation, and social support, and these relations were all statistically significant (P < .01). There was significant difference in life satisfaction between the good- and bad-health groups.ConclusionsResults show good internal consistency and construct validity of the SWLS. These results are comparable with results from previous studies. Meeting the study’s objective to validate the scale, the results show that the Spanish version of the SWLS is a reliable and valid measure of satisfaction with life in the Mexican context.

Highlights

The Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) has been widely used and has proven to be a valid and reliable instrument for assessing satisfaction with life in diverse population groups, research on satisfaction with life and validation of different measuring instruments in Mexican adults is still lacking
The main aim of this work was to present results from the first study that uses a representative sample of Mexican adults in order to validate the Satisfaction with Life Scale [1] (SWLS) in the Mexican context
For adults 18 to 65 years of age in Chile, Vera-Villaroel and collaborators [18] found a one-factor structure that explained 59.3% of the variance and the saturation of this factor was between 0.56 and 0.88. For this Mexican sample, the results show that the scale has good internal consistency and favourable factor validity, and the results are similar to those found in the original study, and studies using the SWLS in diverse languages and populations samples

Summary

Introduction

The Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) has been widely used and has proven to be a valid and reliable instrument for assessing satisfaction with life in diverse population groups, research on satisfaction with life and validation of different measuring instruments in Mexican adults is still lacking. Satisfaction with life is a cognitive process of judgment [1] through which individuals assess the quality of their life according to their own criteria. In this process, individuals weigh the personal priorities of their life, judging it as a whole, weighing the good against the bad, and defining it as more or less satisfactory [2]. Individuals weigh the personal priorities of their life, judging it as a whole, weighing the good against the bad, and defining it as more or less satisfactory [2] This definition will depend on the circumstances of their life and the context that is considered appropriate [2, 3]. The impact of satisfaction with life has been measured using variables such as health status, employment, economic status, and level of activity [6]

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