Validation of the Orientation to Life Questionnaire in Norwegian Adolescents,Construct Validity Across Samples

In spite of the potential significance of sense of coherence (SOC) for adolescent health and well-being, the past decades have yielded limited progress in investigating the psychometric properties of the most used inventory measuring SOC, The Orientation of Life Questionnaire (OLQ) in adolescents. The present study aimed at investigating the factorial validity and reliability of the Norwegian version of the 13 item OLQ based on two adolescent samples 13–18 years from Norway. Concerning the dimensionality of the OLQ, two measurement models were tested using confirmatory factor analysis; a one-factor model and a three-factor-model. The results showed that a three-factor solution with correlated residual variances between item 2 and item 3 showed the best fit across the two adolescent samples, although five items revealed low factor loadings. The dimensions were highly correlated and showed adequate composite reliability. The present results indicate that the 13 item OLQ has potential as an instrument assessing SOC in adolescents. However, more psychometric testing of the instrument is required in reference to the modified factor structure and the low reliability found on some of the items in OLQ.     

Satisfaction with Life Scale in Adolescents: Evaluation of Factor Structure and Gender Invariance in a Norwegian Sample

Social Indicators Research - In spite of the significance of life satisfaction (LS) for adolescent health and well-being, the past decades have yielded limited progress in investigating the...     

The Association Between School Stress,Life Satisfaction and Depressive Symptoms in Adolescents: Life Satisfaction as a Potential Mediator

The aim of the present study was to investigate the interrelationships between school-related stress (school performance, teacher interaction), life satisfaction, and depressive symptoms, as well as the potential mediating role of life satisfaction on the association between school-related stress and depressive symptoms. A total of 1,239 adolescents (13–18 years of age) from public elementary and secondary schools in mid-Norway participated in the school-based survey. The data were analysed using structural equations modelling. The present study showed that stress of school performance was significantly and positively related to depressive symptoms and significantly and inversely related to life satisfaction. At the bivariate levels, stress of teacher interaction was associated with more depressive symptoms and reduced life satisfaction. However, these associations were non-significant in the multivariate analyses, controlled for stress of school performance. A significant inverse association was found between life satisfaction and depressive symptoms. Further, life satisfaction partly mediated the association between stress of school performance and depressive symptoms. The results reflect the complexity of the interaction between adolescents’ experience of school performance stress and mental health, and the role of life satisfaction as a potentially relevant mediator of this association.