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

Abstract

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. 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). 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. 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 (χ 2 (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 (χ 2 (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. 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). • The literature reports inconsistent structure and measurement invariance of the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS). • Little is known about the validity of the SWLS in Arabic. • The Arabic SWLS covers two factors (satisfaction with past life and satisfaction with present life (SWLS-3)). • The SWLS-3 was as reliable as the SWLS; it detected differences in life satisfaction life between men and women while the parent scale failed to do so • The SWLS-3 positively predicted positive affect, negatively predicted somatic complaints, and indirectly predicted positive and negative affect.