The Arabic Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) and its three-item version: Factor structure and measurement invariance among university students

Abstract

Background: University students face numerous challenges, which may adversely influence their mental/physical well-being and academic performance. Satisfaction with life implicates the psychological, social, and educational functioning of students-justifying its use for clinical screening and monitoring of treatment outcomes.

Objective: Given the growing interest in the equivalence of this construct across cultures, this study assessed the structure and invariance of the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) and its three-item version (SWLS-3).

Methods: In this cross sectional study, data collected from two samples of Saudi students (N = 422 and 979, females % = 75.6 and 65.9 %) were analysed using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis.

Results: In exploratory factor analysis, a single factor with eigenvalue >1 explained 69.0 % and 80.6 % of the variances in the SWLS and the SWLS-3. The fit of both the one- and two-factor structures of the SWLS (χ² (4) = 10.10, CMIN/DF = 2.5, p = 0.040, CFI = 0.994, TLI = 0.985, RMSEA = 0.060, SRMR = 0.017) as well as the unidimensional SWLS-3 (χ² (4) = 91.35, CMIN/DF = 2.34, p = 0.001, CFI = 0.977, TLI = 0.968, RMSEA = 0.056, SRMR = 0.030) was good. Multigroup confirmatory factor analysis depected invariance of the three models at the configural, metric, and scalar levels across groups of gender, age, area of specialty, and academic degree. In both samples, the SWLS-3 followed the non-normal distribution of the SWLS; it had similarly high reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.86, 0.88), convergent validity (item-total correlation range = 0.73-0.75 and 0.76-0.77), and predictive validity (correlation with the SWLS = 0.93 and 0.94). The SWLS and the SWLS-3 expressed adequate concurrent validity by positively correlating with positive affect and negatively correlating with negative affect and somatic complaints.

Conclusion: The Arabic SWLS-3 is a unidimensional ultra-brief measure, which demonstrates measurement invariance along with high internal consistency, convergent validity, and predictive validity similar to the parent scale. It may mirror other constructs of well-being (e.g., positive affect) and psycho-pathogenicity (negative affect and somatic complaints).

Keywords: Age/gender/academic degree/area of specialty; Arab/Saudi; Positive affect/negative affect/somatic complaints; Satisfaction with life scale (SWLS); University students; Validation/ validity/ psychometric/ factor structure/ measurement invariance; Well-being.