Life Satisfaction of Adolescents in Hunan,China: Reliability and Validity of Chinese Brief Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale (BMSLSS)

The concept of poverty has gone beyond the monetary attributes to cover several dimensions directly influencing the level of individuals’ socio-economic status. Based on this methodological advancement, this study aims to approximate the deprivation of education, health and housing facilities to analyze the incidence of multidimensional poverty (MDP) at regional levels in the Sindh province of Pakistan. Findings revealed that the magnitude of MDP varies significantly across the regions due mainly to the variation in the deprivation levels of socio-economic aspects. Furthermore, the magnitude of MDP is higher in rural areas than urban areas in each region.     

American High School Students’ Perceptions of Determinants of Life Satisfaction

Life satisfaction can be assessed either globally or with regard to satisfaction with specific domains of life. The latter multidimensional approach presumes science has delineated with confidence the specific domains most relevant to evaluating whether the criteria for a good life have been met. This paper shares results of a qualitative study of the perceived determinants of life satisfaction among 30 high school students who were diverse in terms of mental health; 6–10 participants were classified as complete mental health, vulnerable, symptomatic but content, or troubled at two time points separated by a year. Thematic analyses of transcribed individual interviews suggested eight themes that capture the domains of life adolescents perceive influence their happiness. These themes are compared and contrasted to domains included in existing multi-dimensional measures of youth life satisfaction. The factors likely to be particularly salient to students with different levels of mental health are noted.

     

Do Quality of Services and Institutional Image Impact Students’ Satisfaction and Loyalty in Higher Education?

Social Indicators Research - The objective of this study is to investigate whether the quality of educational services and the university’s institutional image influence students’...     

The Performance of the World Health Organization’s WHOQOL-BREF in Assessing the Quality of Life of Thai College Students

The purpose of this study was to examine the performance of the Thai-version of WHOQOL-BREF in assessing the quality of life (QoL) among Thai college students. The psychometric properties of WHOQOL-BREF were assessed in this study. The self-administered WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire was applied. A total of 407 Thai college students (male age = 20.5 ± 1.2; female age = 20.5 ± 1.2) participated in this study. Item-response distributions, internal consistency reliability, discriminant validity, criterion-related validity and construct validity through confirmatory analysis were analyzed. The findings indicate that the WHOQOL-BREF had acceptable internal consistency (α = 0.73–0.83 across four domains), all items highly correlated with corresponding domain scores (r = 0.53–0.80), the indices of a two-order confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) demonstrate that the data fit the model well with allowing covary of error variances of some items, all items had good property of criterion-related validity and item discrimination and, all three domain scores except the social relationship domain had significant associations with overall QoL or general health. The results suggest that the WHOQOL-BREF was reliable and valid to health professionals in the assessment of the QoL of college-based Thai youth, but some unsuitable items may be deleted in future studies.     

Confirmatory Factor Analysis of Persian Adaptation of Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale (MSLSS)

Validity and reliability of Persian adaptation of MSLSS in the 12–18 years, middle and high school students (430 students in grades 6–12 in Bushehr port, Iran) using confirmatory factor analysis by means of LISREL statistical package were checked. Internal consistency reliability estimates (Cronbach’s coefficient α) were all above the conventional criterion of 0.70 for all factors indicating adequate reliability of the factors. Cronbach’s coefficient α of the total scale was 0.83. The pattern matrix appeared by and large to be consistent with previous investigations of the MSLSS using exploratory factor analytic methods. It seems this Persian adaptation of the MSLSS offers a reliable and valid means of assessing Iranian middle and high school students’ life satisfaction. Using that as a screening tool in schools may help in discriminating between different domains responsible for child and youth problems.     

Turkish Validity Examination of the Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale

The validation studies of the Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale (MSLSS) have been conducted with samples from different nations but mostly from western individualistic cultures. Life satisfaction and its constructs could differ depending on cultural characteristics and life satisfaction scales should be validated in different cultures before using as measurement tools. This paper exhibits the validation study of the MSLSS in the collectivistic Turkish context and the study was conducted among 959 high school and primary school students. The MSLSS was found to be reliable and valid for the Turkish context with a few exceptions.     

Sample Heterogeneity and the Measurement Structure of the Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale

Several measurement assumptions were examined with the goal of assessing the validity of the Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale (MSLSS), a measure of adolescents’ satisfaction with their family, friends, living environment, school, self, and general quality of life. The data were obtained via a cross-sectional survey of 8,225 adolescents in British Columbia, Canada. Confirmatory factor and factor mixture analyses of ordinal data were used to examine the measurement assumptions. The adolescents did not respond to all the MSLSS items in a psychometrically equivalent manner. A correlated five-factor model for an abridged version of the MSLSS resulted in good fit when all negatively worded items and several positively worded items (the least invariant) were excluded. The abridged 18-item version of the MSLSS provides a promising alternative for the measurement of five life domains that are pertinent to adolescents’ quality of life.     

Better Government,Happier Residents? Quality of Government and Life Satisfaction in China

Social Indicators Research - How quality of government affects residents’ life satisfaction is a seldom discussed subject, especially in a non-democratic context. This research aims to...     

Psychometric Evaluation of the Serbian Version of the Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale

The main purpose of this study was to evaluate psychometric properties of the Serbian version of the Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale (MSLSS). The research was carried out on a sample of 408 high school students (250 females, 158 males), with the mean age 16.6. The Serbian version of the MSLSS has demonstrated good psychometric properties. The internal consistency coefficients (Cronbach’s α) for the MSLSS domain and total scores were adequate. Support for the validity of the MSLSS was provided by the pattern of correlations with various positive and negative indicators of well-being. However, it has been suggested that shortening the scale from 40 items to 25 items could provide more accurate measure of adolescents’ life satisfaction for the future research.     

A First Study of the Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale with Adolescents

The psychometric properties of the MultidimensionalStudents Life Satisfaction Scale (MSLSS: Huebner, 1994) were assessed with a sample of adolescents fromgrades 9–12. Results of confirmatory factor analysessupported the hypothesized factor structure. Further,evidence for the convergent and discriminant validityof the instrument was obtained. Acceptable internalconsistency estimates for the Total and domain scoreswere also obtained. These psychometric propertieswere similar to findings of the MSLSS with youngerchildren. Limitations and future researchconsiderations were discussed.     

Factor Structure and Convergent Validity of the Long and Abbreviated Versions of the Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale in an Italian Sample

We examined the psychometric characteristics of the long and abbreviated versions of the Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale (MSLSS) in the Italian contexts. In study 1 we assessed the factorial validity and reliability of the long and abbreviated versions of the MSLSS among Italian adolescents, while in study 2 we assessed the convergent validity of the abbreviated Italian version of the MSLSS by examining the associations between life satisfaction and well-established measures of adjustment. Furthermore, we explored the effect of adolescent gender and age on life satisfaction. Participants in the study 1 were 996 adolescents (48 % males) from 14 to 18 years of age (M = 16.06; SD = 1.51). Participants in study 2 were 380 adolescents (52 % males) from 14 to 19 years of age (M = 15.76; SD = 1.65). Confirmatory factor analyses confirmed the hypothesized five-factor solution of the MSLSS, with a better goodness of fit for the abbreviated version of MSLSS. Moreover, indices of internal consistency revealed acceptable reliability coefficients across the five domains. Convergent validity was confirmed by the expected associations between the domains of the MSLSS and indexes of adjustment. Finally, results evidenced age differences, with oldest adolescents showing the highest levels of satisfaction on most of the domains.     

Measuring and Understanding Urban Parks’ Contribution to Quality of Life in Istanbul

This study details an application of an improved Water Poverty Index (iWPI) to investigate and assess state of water resources in 53 African countries for the period 2000–2012 with a special focus on an international comparison of water poverty among northern and sub-Saharan countries. A multi-faceted approach that combines physical estimates of water availability with socio-economic drivers of poverty and environmental factors, has been used to do such comparison. It is with this in mind that the iWPI was developed based on the theoretical foundations and recent development of the water poverty approach. This would permit an inclusive comprehension of the crosscutting nature of water issues and their impacts on human wellbeing and environment. The results highlight an obvious dissimilarity of water poverty situation between more developed, but water-poor countries located principally in North Africa with that of lower-income and water-rich countries in sub-Saharan region. This can be used to inform policy makers, governments, donors and other stakeholders to assist in prioritization of appropriate policies to be taken towards better service delivery and sustainable water management across space and time.     

Living Standards and Quality of Life

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Perceived Corruption and Individuals’ Life Satisfaction: The Mediating Role of Institutional Trust

Social Indicators Research - Corruption degrades the quality of institutions, increases economic inequality and limits growth. Recent studies indicate that corruption is also associated with lower...     

Higher Education in Basic Science and Socioeconomic Characteristics of Students’ Life in India: An Exploratory Study

A shortage of scientifically trained manpower in India today is largely due to the fact that fewer and fewer students are being attracted to pursue higher studies in basic science, as current science enrolment data reveal. Ultimately, because of this shortage, developments in science and technology and science-based industry are slowing down, and the basic qualities of material life are continually being compromised. Several other countries are also contending with this problem, but India’s case has largely remained underrepresented in current research. To improve the situation, a number of competitive scholarship programs have been started in India to attract young students to pursue higher studies in science in greater numbers. For one such program, using a sample of more than 8,600 high-school students, we examine how a number of socioeconomic factors govern students’ decision to pursue science higher studies in the country. We find that student age, gender, family income, exam scores, use of computers and the internet, travels, and possession of modern consumer goods at home contribute to students’ increased mobility in search of better educational facilities needed for the preparation of a career in science. Our results have implications for schools and teachers, globalization, scientific literacy, and the general prosperity of life in the country.     

Exploratory Study on Drug Users’ Perspectives on Quality of Life: More than Health-Related Quality of Life?

In drug treatment outcome literature, a focus on objective and socially desirable indicators of change (e.g. no drug use) has predominated, while outcome indicators that are important for drug users themselves (e.g. quality of life, satisfaction with treatment) have largely been neglected. Nonetheless, Quality of Life (QoL) has become an important concept to evaluate effectiveness of treatment in mental health care research and disability studies. Given the almost exclusive focus on Health-related Quality of Life (HRQOL) in substance abuse research and the neglect of clients’ perspectives in this field, we explore in this study the concept of QoL as perceived by drug users. Focus group discussions (n = 9) were organised in various treatment settings and community services for drug users in the region of Ghent, Belgium to identify important dimensions of QoL and their interpretation by drug users. Data were clustered and analysed based on the theoretical framework of Robert Schalock (Quality of life. Volume 1: Conceptualization and measurement, 1996). The domains ‘personal relationships’, ‘social inclusion’ and ‘self-determination’ were discussed most frequently by the participants. They stressed the importance of a supportive social network in particular. It can be concluded that QoL is not primarily associated by drug users with health and it involves much more than the aspects typically represented in measures of HRQOL.     

Dublin’s Seventeenth Century Parishes and the Quality of Life

Social Indicators Research - The registers of Dublin’s parishes in the seventeenth century provide access to aspects of civic and religious life. In the registers are records of burials,...     

Erratum to: Dublin’s Seventeenth Century Parishes and the Quality of Life

Social Indicators Research -