Reliability Generalization of the Meaning in Life Questionnaire Subscales. (October 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Semma, Brandie; Henri, Maria; Luo, Wen; Thompson, Christopher G.
• Is Part Of: Journal of psychoeducational assessment. Volume 37:Number 7(2019)
• Page Start: 837
• Page End: 851
• Publication Date: 2019-10
• Subjects: Meaning in Life Questionnaire -- meta-analysis -- reliability generalization -- Cronbach's alpha -- reliability; Ability -- Testing -- Periodicals; Educational tests and measurements -- Periodicals; 371.713
• DOI: 10.1177/0734282918800739
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0734-2829

Abstract

Meaning in life is a psychological construct linked to several subjective well-being indicators. One commonly used meaning in life measure is the Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ), a 10-item self-report measure that assesses perceived presence of and search for meaning in life. Despite its extensive use, the variability of the questionnaire's reliability across samples has not been examined. This study synthesized reliability evidence for the Meaning in Life Questionnaire from 232 articles. Average reliabilities for both subscales were greater than .85. Results indicated that, though, overall, the MLQ is highly reliable across samples, the questionnaire's reliability varies as a function of several sample characteristics. Furthermore, we found some evidence of reporting bias. Implications for the conceptualization of meaning in life across diverse samples and potential underreporting of low reliability estimates are discussed.