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Satisfaction with Life Scale Among Adolescents and Young Adults in Portugal: Extending Evidence of Construct Validity

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Abstract

The paper presents three empirical studies designed to extend the test of the construct validity of the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) among Portuguese students. In the first study, the responses of 461 elementary and secondary education students were submitted to a principal component analysis. A solution of one single factor was chosen, accounting for 55.7 % of the total variance, with Cronbach alpha coefficient and inter-item correlation above .70 and .20, respectively. The second study used a sample of 317 undergraduate students and registered a similar factor solution for SWLS (ϕpq = 0.99), which accounted for 65.6 % of the total variance (Cronbach alpha .89 and inter-item correlation above .20). A test–retest analysis registered coefficients of .70 (T2) and .77 (T3) and no significant statistically differences between T2, T3 and T1. The third study used a sample of 107 foster care youths from elementary and secondary education. Confirmatory factor analysis results indicate adequate fit indexes for the one-factor solution (χ2/df = 2.70, GFI = .96, CFI = .96), which showed convergent validity, reliability and homogeneity. In conclusion, there is psychometric evidence for the one-factor structure of the SWLS in Portugal.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Psychology, University of Minho, Campus of Gualtar, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal

    Ana Daniela Silva, Maria do Céu Taveira & Cátia Marques

  2. Department of Psychology, Federal University of Paraíba, João Pessoa, Brazil

    Valdiney V. Gouveia

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  1. Ana Daniela Silva
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  2. Maria do Céu Taveira
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  3. Cátia Marques
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  4. Valdiney V. Gouveia
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Correspondence to Ana Daniela Silva.

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Silva, A.D., Taveira, M.d., Marques, C. et al. Satisfaction with Life Scale Among Adolescents and Young Adults in Portugal: Extending Evidence of Construct Validity. Soc Indic Res 120, 309–318 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-014-0587-9

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