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Spanish Version of the Satisfaction with Life Scale: Validation and Factorial Invariance Analysis in Chile

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 March 2018

Mehdi Bagherzadeh ,
Nicolas Loewe ,
Roy G. Mouawad ,
Joan Manuel Batista-Foguet ,
Luis Araya-Castillo  and
Claudio Thieme
Mehdi Bagherzadeh
Affiliation:
NEOMA Business School (France)
Nicolas Loewe
Affiliation:
Universitat Ramon Llull (Spain)
Roy G. Mouawad*
Affiliation:
Universitat Ramon Llull (Spain)
Joan Manuel Batista-Foguet
Affiliation:
Universitat Ramon Llull (Spain)
Luis Araya-Castillo
Affiliation:
Universidad Miguel de Cervantes (Chile)
Claudio Thieme
Affiliation:
Universidad Diego Portales (Chile)
*
*Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Roy G. Mouawad. People Management and Organisation, ESADE Business School. Universitat Ramon Llull. 08034. Barcelona (Spain). E-mail: roy.mouawad@esade.edu
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Abstract

The aim of this study is to: (1) examine the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the Satisfaction with Life scale (SWLS) on a representative sample of the Chilean population (N = 1,500); (2) test the factorial invariance of the SWLS across gender and employment status (henceforth status); and (3) provide normative data of the SWLS for Chile. Results suggest that the Spanish version of the SWLS is a valid and reliable instrument for measuring global life satisfaction in Chile and for comparison across gender and status. Confirmatory factor analysis shows support, across all groups, for a modified single-factor structure of the SWLS that allows error terms of items 1 and 2 to correlate (GFI > .98; RMSEA < .08). Cronbach’s alpha coefficient ranges between .68 and .84 for different groups, with an average value of .80 for the total sample. The SWLS scores converge with an alternative single-item measure of life satisfaction (r = .63, p < .001) and with measures of conceptually related constructs. The factorial structure of the scale is invariant with respect to gender and status (CFI > .99; RMSEA < .06). Metric invariance holds for gender (ΔCFI = 0; RMSEA = .051) and status (Δχ2 = 23.93, nonsignificant; ∆CFI = 0; RMSEA = .045). Scalar invariance holds for gender and some status combinations; partial scalar invariance holds for the rest. Mean levels of life satisfaction can be compared across gender and status, albeit cautiously for status combinations for which scalar invariance does not hold.

Keywords

Chileconfirmatory factor analysisfactorial invarianceSatisfaction with Life ScaleSpanish
Type
Research Article
Information
The Spanish Journal of Psychology , Volume 21 , 2018 , E2
Copyright
Copyright © Universidad Complutense de Madrid and Colegio Oficial de Psicólogos de Madrid 2018 

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Footnotes

How to cite this article:

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. e2. Doi:10.1017/sjp.2018.2

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