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. 2019 Jun;26(4):695-705.
doi: 10.1177/1073191117693921. Epub 2017 Feb 1.

Psychometric Properties of the Satisfaction With Life Scale in People With Traumatic Brain, Spinal Cord, or Burn Injury: A National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research Model System Study

Dagmar Amtmann  1 , Fraser D Bocell  1 , Alyssa Bamer  1 , Allen W Heinemann  2   3 , Jeanne M Hoffman  1 , Shannon B Juengst  4 , Marta Rosenberg  5 , Jeffery C Schneider  6 , Shelley Wiechman  1 , Kara McMullen  1
Affiliations

Psychometric Properties of the Satisfaction With Life Scale in People With Traumatic Brain, Spinal Cord, or Burn Injury: A National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research Model System Study

Dagmar Amtmann et al. Assessment. 2019 Jun.

Abstract

This study evaluated the measurement properties of the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) in a sample of 17,897 people with spinal cord injury (48%, n = 8,566), traumatic brain injury (44%, n = 7,941), and burn injury (8%, n = 1,390), 1 year following injury. We examined measurement invariance across the groups, unidimensionality, local independence, reliability from a classical test and item response theory (IRT) framework, and fit to a unidimensional IRT model. The results support unidimensionality and local independence of the SWLS. Reliability was adequate from a classical test and IRT perspective. IRT analysis found that the SWLS could be improved by using only five response categories rather than seven and by removing the fifth item, "If I could live my life over, I would change almost nothing." This item functions poorly and reduces instrument reliability. With these revisions, the SWLS is a useful instrument to monitor an important outcome of trauma rehabilitation.

Keywords: Satisfaction With Life Scale; burn injury; item response theory; measurement invariance; spinal cord injury; traumatic brain injury.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Total information curve and standard error.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Trace lines and item information function for Item 1.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Trace lines and item information function for Item 2.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Trace lines and item information function for Item 3.
Figure 5.
Figure 5.
Trace lines and item information function for Item 4.
Figure 6.
Figure 6.
Trace lines and item information function for Item 5.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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