Meaning in Life Questionnaire: Validation for Chinese Adolescents

Background: Previous psychometric analyses of the Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ; Steger et al. 2006) in the Chinese adolescent population are limited methodologically. Methods: This study validates the MLQ in a sample of 1794 adolescents (62.4% girls; mean age = 16.6 years) in 24 high schools in Yunnan, China, a representative sample in terms of provincial socioeconomic status. Results: Confirmatory factor analysis validates the two-factor structure of the MLQ, and several indices of scale reliability confirm its reliability. However, homogeneity and response patterns at the item level highlight issues with the last two items of the scale, suggesting that potential latent dimensions such as subsamples should be considered for those items. Conclusions: It is concluded that the MLQ has adequate psychometric performance as a measurement instrument for meaning in life in Chinese adolescents, paving the way for its future application in research and clinical practice.