Psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ) in adults

Abstract

The most widely used instrument to assess meaning in life is the Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ). To date, no study has analyzed the psychometric characteristics in the Spanish adult population. Our aim is to analyze the psychometric properties of the MLQ in a sample of Spanish participants. The sample consisted of 683 adults, 80.4% women, from Spain. CFA and factorial invariance of the factors obtained as a function of the gender and age of the participants was studied. The data had a good fit to a model with two factors called Presence and Search. The two factors showed a low and positive correlation (.19); however, we cannot assume factorial invariance for gender and age groups. The MLQ showed adequate convergent validity with measures of purpose in life, anxiety, and depression. The present research provides support for the good psychometric properties and reliability of the MLQ in adult Spanish participants to assess meaning in life.