Psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the Sources of Meaning and Meaning in Life Questionnaire

The Sources of Meaning and Meaning in Life Questionnaire (SoMe) is a comprehensive self-report assessing meaningfulness, crisis of meaning, and 26 distinct sources of meaning. The present study aimed to culturally adapt the SoMe and evaluate its psychometric properties in Türkiye. The sample consisted of 2,172 adults aged 18–78 years. Exploratory factor analysis yielded a five-factor higher-order structure broadly consistent with the original conceptualization of the SoMe and accounted for 53.73% of the total variance. Confirmatory factor analysis of the correlated five-factor model showed inadequate fit (CFI = .773, RMSEA = .105), whereas exploratory structural equation modeling provided improved fit (CFI = .925, RMSEA = .071), and supported theoretically meaningful cross-loadings. Confirmatory factor analyses also supported meaningfulness and crisis of meaning as distinct but related constructs (CFI = .955, RMSEA = .084), which were negatively correlated (r = -.63). Measurement invariance analyses across gender supported configural and metric invariance and partial scalar invariance. Internal consistency was generally satisfactory for meaningfulness (α = .76), crisis of meaning (α = .88), higher-order dimensions (α = .86–.93), and most subscales (α = .70–.95), although weaker reliability was observed for some subscales (α = .57–.69). Two poorly performing items were removed, resulting in a final 149-item Turkish version. Convergent validity was supported by theoretically consistent associations with indicators of positive and negative well-being. Criterion validity was demonstrated by differences between participants with and without elevated depressive symptoms. Overall, the findings support the Turkish SoMe as a reliable and valid instrument.