Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

Eighty-four students were administered the Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale (MSLSS) on three occasions, 1 year apart (Grades 8, 9, and 10). The 1-year stability coefficients ranged from .29 to .59, whereas the 2-year stability coefficients ranged from .41 to .59. MSLSS mean scores were consistent across administrations, with the exception of satisfaction with living environment in which scores were lower in Grade 10 relative to the previous two grades. Although a fair degree of stability was observed across most MSLSS domains, differences in the magnitudes of the coefficients across domains and time intervals suggested the importance of contextual factors in understanding the nature of the life satisfaction construct among adolescents as well as implications for the use of total and domain-specific life satisfaction reports as outcomes measures.

Keywords

adolescence life satisfaction stability

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Barry, C.M. , & Wentzel, K.R. ( 2006). Friend influence on prosocial behavior: The role of motivational factors and friendship characteristics. Developmental Psychology , 42, 153-163.

Bowker, A. ( 2004). Predicting friendship stability during early adolescence . Journal of Early Adolescence, 24, 85-112.

Cohen, J. ( 1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Diener, E. , Suh, E.M. , Lucas, R.E. , & Smith, H.L. ( 1999). Subjective well-being: Three decades of progress. Psychological Bulletin, 125, 276-302.

Frisch, M. ( 1998). Quality of life therapy and assessment in health care . Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 5, 19-40.

Gilligan, T.D. , & Huebner, E.S. ( 2007). Initial development and validation of the Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale-Adolescent Version. Applied Research in Quality of Life, 2, 1-16.

Gilman, R. , & Handwerk, M.L. (2001). Changes in life satisfaction as a function of stay in a residential treatment setting. Residential Treatment of Children and Youth, 18, 47-65.

Gilman, R. , & Huebner, E.S. ( 2003). A review of life satisfaction research with children and adolescents. School Psychology Quarterly, 18, 192-205.

Greenspoon, P. , & Saklofske, D.J. (1997). Validity of the Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale with Canadian children. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 15, 138-155.

10.

Henson, R.K. ( 2001). Understanding internal consistency reliability estimates: A conceptual primer on coefficient alpha. Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development, 34, 177-191.

11.

Huebner, E.S. ( 1994). Preliminary development and validation of a multidimensional life satisfaction scale for children. Psychological Assessment , 6, 149-158.

12.

Huebner, E.S. , Gilman, R. , & Suldo, S.M. ( 2007). Assessing perceived quality of life in children and youth . In S. R. Smith & L. Handler (Eds.), The clinical assessment of children and adolescents: A practitioners’ handbook (pp. 349-366). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

13.

Huebner, E.S. , Laughlin, J.E. , Ash, C. , & Gilman, R. ( 1998). Further validation of the Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment , 15, 118-134.

14.

Jimerson, S.R. , Sharkey, J.D. , Nyborg, V. , & Furlong, M.J. ( 2004). Strength-based assessment and school psychology: A summary and synthesis. California School Psychologist, 9, 9-20.

15.

Keith, L.K. , & Bracken, B.A. ( 1996). Self-concept instrumentation: A historical and evaluative review. In B. A. Bracken (Ed.), Handbook of self-concept: Developmental, social and clinical considerations (pp. 91-170). New York: John Wiley.

16.

Lucas, R.E. , Diener, E. , & Suh, E. ( 1996). Discriminant validity of well-being measures. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 71, 616-628.

17.

Martin, K. , Huebner, E.S. , & Valois, R.F. ( 2008). Does life satisfaction predict victimization experiences in adolescence? Psychology in the Schools, 45, 705-714.

18.

Pavot, W. , & Diener, E. ( 1993). Review of the Satisfaction with Life Scale. Psychological Assessment, 5, 164-172.