Discriminative and construct validity of meaning in life questionnaire for Iranian students

Abstract

Introduction: Acquiring meaning in life is one of the effective factors in psychological problems and disorders. The purpose of this research was investigating discriminative and constructs validity of Meaning in Life Questionnaire.Method: 296 students at university of Tarbiat Moallem in Azarbayjan, Iran took part in this study. Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ) and General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) were used for data collection. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to ensure construct validity, and a hierarchical discriminative function analysis was used for discriminative validity analysis.Results: Confirmatory factor analysis resulted in a related two-factor model with acceptable fitness indices. The MLQ also showed a high ability in discriminating healthy individuals. Nevertheless, the instrument did not have an adequate accuracy in screening people at risk with regard to an initial grouping based on scores of GHQ. The findings also showed that females had a higher mean score in MLQ in comparison with male participants.Conclusion: The construct validity of MLQ is acceptable for a sample of Iranian students though its discriminative validity was much more accurate in diagnosing healthy individuals than people at risk