The Turkish version of the Satisfaction with Life Scale: Measurement Invariance across Gender

The purpose of this study was to investigate the measurement invariance in the Turkish version of the Satisfaction with Life Scale according to gender among university students. A convenience sample of 312 university students (194 females) was participated in the study. Multi-group confirmatory factorial analyses were performed to examine the measurement invariance. The results showed a first-order one-factor solution fitted to the Turkish sample. The findings revealed that the configural and metric invariances were achieved with respect to gender. However, scalar invariance could not be reached across gender. When constrained the parameter of item four across gender, then partial scalar invariance was achieved. Ongoing analysis showed that strict invariance was achieved across gender. Establishing at least partial scalar invariance is important in that it permits comparison of latent means between subgroups. Understanding how satisfaction with life differs depending on gender and culture in the context of psychological well-being could lead a deeper conceptualization of this attribute. Moreover, this study emphasizes that valid inferences are only possible with well-developed psychometric tools.

The Turkish version of the Satisfaction with Life Scale: Measurement Invariance across Gender

The purpose of this study was to investigate the measurement invariance in the Turkish version of the Satisfaction with Life Scale according to gender among university students. A convenience sample of 312 university students (194 females) was participated in the study. Multi-group confirmatory factorial analyses were performed to examine the measurement invariance. The results showed a first-order one-factor solution fitted to the Turkish sample. The findings revealed that the configural and metric invariances were achieved with respect to gender. However, scalar invariance could not be reached across gender. When constrained the parameter of item four across gender, then partial scalar invariance was achieved. Ongoing analysis showed that strict invariance was achieved across gender. Establishing at least partial scalar invariance is important in that it permits comparison of latent means between subgroups. Understanding how satisfaction with life differs depending on gender and culture in the context of psychological well-being could lead a deeper conceptualization of this attribute. Moreover, this study emphasizes that valid inferences are only possible with well-developed psychometric tools.

___

  • Abdel-Khalek, A. M. (2010). Quality of life, subjective well-being, and religiosity in Muslim college students. Quality of Life Research, 19(8), 1133-1143.
  • Al-Attiyah, A., & Nasser, R. (2016). Gender and age differences in life satisfaction within a sex-segregated society: sampling youth in Qatar. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 21(1), 84-95. https://doi.org/10.1080/02673843.2013.808158
  • Atienza, F. L., Balaguer, I., & Garcia-Merita, M. L. (2003). Satisfaction with life scale: Analysis of factorial invariance across sexes. Personality and Individual Differences, 35, 1255–1260.
  • Bagherzadeh, M., Loewe, N., Mouawad, R. G., Batista-Foguet, J. M., Araya-Castillo, L., & Thieme, C. (2018). Spanish version of the satisfaction with life scale: Validation and factorial invariance analysis in Chile. The Spanish Journal of Psychology, 21(2), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1017/sjp.2018.2
  • Bourque, P., Gold, D., Bonneville, L., & Béland, F. (2005). Contextual effects on life satisfaction of older men and women. Canadian Journal on Aging/La Revue canadienne du vieillissement, 24(1), 31-44.
  • Cenkseven-Önder, F. (2012). The influence of decision-making styles on early adolescents’ life satisfaction. Social Behavior and Personality, 40(9), 1523–1536.
  • Chai, L., Xue, J., & Han, Z. (2020). School bullying victimization and self-rated health and life satisfaction: The gendered buffering effect of educational expectations. Children and Youth Services Review, 116, 105252. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105252
  • Checa, I., Perales, J., & Espejo, B. (2019). Measurement invariance of the satisfaction with life scale by gender, age, marital status and educational level. Quality of Life Research, 28(4), 963-968. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-018-2066-2
  • Chen, F. F. (2007). Sensitivity of goodness of fit indexes to lack of measurement invariance. Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 14(3), 464-504.
  • Chen, X., Cai, Z., He, J., & Fan, X. (2020). Gender differences in life satisfaction among children and adolescents: A meta-analysis. Journal of Happiness Studies, 21, 2279-2307.
  • Cheung, G. W., & Rensvold, R. B. (2002). Evaluating goodness- of-fit indexes for testing measurement invariance. Structural Equation Modeling, 9(2), 233–255.
  • Chow, H. P. (2005). Life satisfaction among university students in a Canadian prairie city: A multivariate analysis. Social Indicators Research, 70(2), 139-150.
  • Chun, C. A., Moos, R. H., & Cronkite, R. C. (2006). Culture: A fundamental context for the stress and coping paradigm. In Handbook of multicultural perspectives on stress and coping (pp. 29-53). Springer, Boston, MA.
  • Diener, E. D., Emmons, R. A., Larsen, R. J., & Griffin, S. (1985). The satisfaction with life scale. Journal of Personality Assessment, 49(1), 71-75.
  • Diener, E., Suh, E. M., Lucas, R. E., & Smith, H. L. (1999). Subjective well-being: three decades of progress. Psychological Bulletin, 125(2), 276–302.
  • Doğru, N. (2018). Üniversite öğrencilerinin psikolojik iyi oluş düzeylerinin stres, stresle başa çıkma tarzları ve sosyal destek değişkenleri bakımından incelenmesi [An investigation of psychological well-being, stress, coping and social support of university students]. Unpublished Doctoral Thesis, Ankara University, Ankara.
  • Durak, M., Senol-Durak, E., & Gencoz, T. (2010). Psychometric properties of the satisfaction with life scale among Turkish university students, Correctional officers, and elderly adults. Social Indicators Research, 99(3), 413-429.
  • Emerson, S. D., Guhn, M., & Gadermann, A. M. (2017). Measurement invariance of the satisfaction with life scale: reviewing three decades of research. Quality of Life Research, 26(9), 2251-2264. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-017-1552-2
  • Evans, S. E., Steel, A. L., & DiLillo, D. (2013). Child maltreatment severity and adult trauma symptoms: Does perceived social support play a buffering role? Child Abuse & Neglect, 37(11), 934-943. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2013.03.005
  • Frisch, M. B., Clark, M. P., Rouse, S. V., Rudd, M. D., Paweleck, J. K., Greenstone, A., & Kopplin, D. A. (2005). Predictive and treatment validity of life satisfaction and the quality of life inventory. Assessment, 12(1), 66-78.
  • Fogle, L. M., Huebner, E. S., & Laughlin, J. E. (2002). The relationship between temperament and life satisfaction in early adolescence: Cognitive and behavioral mediation models. Journal of Happiness Studies, 3(4), 373–392.
  • Froh, J. J., Fives, C. J., Fuller, J. R., Jacofsky, M. D., Terjesen, M. D., & Yurkewicz, C. (2007). Interpersonal relationships and irrationality as predictors of life satisfaction. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 2(1), 29-39. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760601069051
  • Gilman, R., & Huebner, E. S. (2006). Characteristics of adolescents who report very high life satisfaction. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 35(3), 293-301.
  • Grant, N., Wardle, J., & Steptoe, A. (2009). The relationship between life satisfaction and health behavior: a cross-cultural analysis of young adults. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 16(3), 259-268. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12529-009-9032-x
  • Hair, J. F., Gabriel, M., & Patel, V. (2014). AMOS covariance-based structural equation modeling (CB-SEM): Guidelines on its application as a marketing research tool. Brazilian Journal of Marketing, 13(2). https://ssrn.com/abstract=2676480
  • Hu, L., & Bentler, P. M. (1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling, 6(1), 1–55.
  • Huebner, E. S., & Dew, T. (1996). The interrelationships of positive affect, negative affect, and life satisfaction in an adolescent sample. Social Indicators Research, 38(2), 129-137.
  • Hultell, D., & Gustavsson, J. P. (2008). A psychometric evaluation of the satisfaction with life scale in a Swedish nationwide sample of university students. Personality and Individual Differences, 44(5), 1070-1079. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2007.10.030
  • Joshanloo, M., & Jovanović, V. (2020). The relationship between gender and life satisfaction: Analysis across demographic groups and global regions. Archives of women's mental health, 23, 331-338. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00737-019-00998-w
  • Jovanović, V. (2016). The validity of the satisfaction with life scale in adolescents and a comparison with single-item life satisfaction measures: a preliminary study. Quality of Life Research, 25(12), 3173-3180. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-016-1331-5
  • Jovanović, V. (2019). Measurement invariance of the Serbian version of the satisfaction with life scale across age, gender, and time. European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 35(4), 555–563. https://doi.org/10.1027/1015-5759/a000410
  • Kang, S. M., Shaver, P. R., Sue, S., Min, K. H., & Jing, H. (2003). Culture-specific patterns in the prediction of life satisfaction: Roles of emotion, relationship quality, and self-esteem. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 29(12), 1596-1608.
  • Kenny, D. A., Kaniskan, B., & McCoach, D. B. (2015). The performance of RMSEA in models with small degrees of free- dom. Sociological Methods & Research, 44(3), 486–507.
  • Kim, D. H., & Kim, J. H. (2013). Social relations and school life satisfaction in South Korea. Social Indicators Research, 112(1), 105-127. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-012-0042-8
  • Kim, M. J., & Park, J. H. (2020). Academic self-efficacy and life satisfaction among adolescents: Mediating effects of self-transcendence. Child & Youth Services, 41(4), 387-408. https://doi.org/10.1080/0145935X.2020.1852920
  • Kuppens, P., Realo, A., & Diener, E. (2008). The role of positive and negative emotions in life satisfaction judgment across nations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 95(1), 66-75. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.95.1.66
  • Kurman, J., & Sriram, N. (2002). Interrelationships among vertical and horizontal collectivism, modesty, and self-enhancement. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 33(1), 71-86.
  • Li, J., Fang, M., Wang, W., Sun, G., & Cheng, Z. (2018). The influence of grit on life satisfaction: Self-esteem as a mediator. Psychologica Belgica, 58(1), 51-66.
  • Lyons, M. D., & Huebner, E. S. (2016). Academic characteristics of early adolescents with higher levels of life satisfaction. Applied Research in Quality of Life, 11(3), 757-771.
  • Lucktong, A., Salisbury, T. T., & Chamratrithirong, A. (2018). The impact of parental, peer and school attachment on the psychological well-being of early adolescents in Thailand. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 23(2), 235-249.
  • Meng, Q. (2020). Chinese university teachers’ job and life satisfaction: examining the roles of basic psychological needs satisfaction and self-efficacy. The Journal of General Psychology, 1-22. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221309.2020.1853503
  • Moksnes, U. K., & Espnes, G. A. (2013). Self-esteem and life satisfaction in adolescents—gender and age as potential moderators. Quality of Life Research, 22(10), 2921-2928.
  • Moksnes, U. K., Løhre, A., Byrne, D. G., & Haugan, G. (2014). Satisfaction with life scale in adolescents: Evaluation of factor structure and gender invariance in a Norwegian sample. Social Indicators Research, 118(2), 657-671.
  • Moore, P. M., Huebner, E. S., & Hills, K. J. (2012). Electronic bullying and victimization and life satisfaction in middle school students. Social Indicators Research, 107(3), 429-447.
  • Ng, Z. J., Huebner, E. S., Maydeu-Olivares, A., & Hills, K. J. (2018). Confirmatory factor analytic structure and measurement invariance of the brief multidimensional students’ life satisfaction scale (BMSLSS) in a longitudinal sample of adolescents. Child Indicators Research, 11(4), 1237-1247. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12187-017-9468-5
  • O’Donnell, G. (2013). Using well-being as a guide to policy. World Happiness Report, 98–111. Oishi, S., Schimmack, U., & Diener, E. (2012). Progressive taxation and the subjective well being of nations. Psychological Science, 23(1), 86-92.
  • Ortuño-Sierra, J., Aritio-Solana, R., Chocarro de Luis, E., Nalda, F. N., & Fonseca-Pedrero, E. (2019). Subjective well-being in adolescence: New psychometric evidences on the satisfaction with life scale. European Journal of Developmental Psychology, 16(2), 236-244.
  • Ozdemir, D., & Tas-Arslan, F. (2018). An investigation of the relationship between social support and coping with stress in women with breast cancer. Psych-oncology, 27(9), 2214-2219. https://doi.org/10.1002/pon.4798
  • Park, C. J., Rottinghaus, P. J., Wang, Z., Zhang, T., Falk, N. A., & Ko, S. J. (2019). Measurement invariance of the career futures inventory–revised across general and client samples. Journal of Career Assessment, 27(4), 711-725.
  • Pešić, J. (2006). Persistence of traditionalist value orientations in Serbia. Sociologija, 48(4), 289-307. http://www.doiserbia.nb.rs/img/doi/0038-0318/2006/0038-03180604289P.pdf
  • Piko, B. F., & Hamvai, C. (2010). Parent, school and peer-related correlates of adolescents' life satisfaction. Children and Youth Services Review, 32(10), 1479-1482.
  • Pons, D., Atienza, F. L., Balaguer, I., & Garcia-Merita, M. L. (2000). Satisfaction with life scale: Analysis of factorial invariance for adolescents and elderly persons. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 91(1), 62–68. https://doi.org/10.2466/pms.2000.91.1.62
  • Rode, J. C., Arthaud-Day, M. L., Mooney, C. H., Near, J. P., Baldwin, T. T., Bommer, W. H., & Rubin, R. S. (2005). Life satisfaction and student performance. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 4(4), 421-433. https://www.jstor.org/stable/40214344
  • Sachs, J. (2003). Validation of the satisfaction with life scale in a sample of Hong Kong university students. Psychologia, 46(4), 225-234.
  • Saha, R., Huebner, E. S., Hills, K. J., Malone, P. S., & Valois, R. F. (2014). Social coping and life satisfaction in adolescents. Social Indicators Research, 115(1), 241-252.
  • Slavinski, T., Bjelica, D., Pavlović, D., & Vukmirović, V. (2021). Academic performance and physical activities as positive factors for life satisfaction among university students. Sustainability, 13(2), 497-514. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13020497
  • Tarhan, E. (2019). Understanding women’s career decisions: kaleidoscope career model. Journal of Management and Labor, 3(1), 118-132.
  • Tian, L., Zhang, L., Huebner, E. S., Zheng, X., & Liu, W. (2016). The longitudinal relationship between school belonging and subjective well-being in school among elementary school students. Applied Research in Quality of Life, 11(4), 1269-1285.
  • Turgut, Ö. (2015). Ergenlerin psikolojik sağlamlık düzeylerinin, önemli yaşam olayları, algılanan sosyal destek ve okul bağlılığı açısından incelenmesi [Examination of adolescents' psychological resilience in terms of important life events, perceived social support and school engagement]. Unpublished Master's thesis, Anadolu University, Eskişehir.
  • Upadyaya, K., & Salmela-Aro, K. (2013). Development of school engagement in association with academic success and well-being in varying social contexts: A review of empirical research. European Psychologist, 18(2), 136–147.
  • Vonkova, H. (2019). Life satisfaction among different groups of children: self-reports, differential scale usage and anchoring vignettes. Child Indicators Research, 12(6), 2111-2136. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12187-019-09629-3
  • Williams, L. J., & Holahan, P. J. (1994). Parsimony‐based fit indices for multiple‐indicator models: Do they work? Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 1(2), 161-189. https://doi.org/10.1080/10705519409539970
  • Whisman, M. A., & Judd, C. M. (2016). A cross-national analysis of measurement invariance of the satisfaction with life scale. Psychological Assessment, 28(2), 239-244.
  • Wu, C. H., & Yao, G. (2006). Analysis of factorial invariance across gender in the Taiwan version of the satisfaction with life scale. Personality and Individual Differences, 40(6), 1259–1268. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2005.11.012
  • Ye, S., Yu, L., & Li, K. K. (2012). A cross-lagged model of self-esteem and life satisfaction: Gender differences among Chinese university students. Personality and Individual Differences, 52(4), 546-551. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2011.11.018
  • Yetim, U. (2003). The impacts of individualism/collectivism, self-esteem, and feeling of mastery on life satisfaction among the Turkish university students and academicians. Social Indicators Research, 61(3), 297-317.
  • Yılmaz, E., Yılmaz, E., & Karaca, F. (2008). Examining the level of social support and loneliness of university students. General Medical Journal, 18(2), 71-79.
  • Yuen, C.Y.M. (2015). Gender differences in life satisfaction and spiritual health among the junior immigrant and local Hong Kong secondary students. International Journal of Children's Spirituality, 20(2), 139-154. https://doi.org/10.1080/1364436X.2015.1061485
  • Yuen, C.Y.M. (2013). Ethnicity, level of study, gender, religious affiliation and life satisfaction of adolescents from diverse cultures in Hong Kong. Journal of Youth Studies, 16(6), 776–791. https://doi.org/10.1080/13676261.2012.756973.
  • Zweig, J. S. (2015). Are women happier than men? Evidence from the gallup world poll. Journal of Happiness Studies, 16(2), 515-541. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-014-9521-8.
  • Arıkan, Ç. A., & Zorbaz, S. (2020). Measurement invariance of the satisfaction with life scale across gender and time. Turkish Journal of Education, 9(4), 260-272. https://doi.org/10.19128/turje.774452