ArticleQuality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation2014
Assessing the validity of single-item life satisfaction measures: results from three large samples.
Article in Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 331 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
331 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Life satisfaction and blood pressure: A coordinated analysis of 16 cohorts.Health psychology : official journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association · 2026Pooled it
- Purpose in life and stress: An individual-participant meta-analysis of 16 samples.Journal of affective disorders · 2024Pooled it
- Nature-based meaning-focused photography intervention enhances subjective well-being: A three-arm randomized controlled study.Applied psychology. Health and well-being · 2026Trial
- Validation of the EQ-HWB-9 in a mental health sample and an investigation of modifications to items.Health and quality of life outcomes · 2026Trial
- A Mobile Self-Assessment and Referral Platform for Family Caregivers of Individuals With Alzheimer Disease and Related Dementias: Protocol for a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR research protocols · 2026Trial
- Technology-based physical activities and adults' physical activity levels, mental health, life satisfaction, and happiness: a mixed methods study.BMC psychology · 2025Trial
- Effects of a school-based physical activity intervention on children with intellectual disability: a cluster randomized trial.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2025Trial
- Subjective social status and health of Saudi medical students: a cross-sectional study on the role of peer comparisons.Annals of medicine · 2026Article
- The Relationship Between Global and Domain-Specific Evaluations of Life Satisfaction: A Feedback Loop Theory.Journal of personality · 2026Article
- Prevalence and Reasons for Microdosing Cannabis, Psilocybin, LSD, and MDMA Among U.S. Adults.American journal of preventive medicine · 2026Article
- Exploring sexual health and function among Malaysian patients with advanced cancer: insights from the EORTC QLQ SH-22 questionnaire.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026Article
- Routine Online Psychological Therapy in an Insurance-Based Care Setting: Retrospective Service Evaluation of Real-World Outcomes.JMIR formative research · 2026Observational
- Dark Side of Performance-Oriented Competition: Dual Strain Pathways to Affective Organizational Commitment Among Female Managerial Employees.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- The Differential Effects of Public and Private Active Social Media Use on Adolescents' Well-Being: Insights from a Cross-Sectional and Experimental Study.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Personal values and mental health among Chinese university students: a dual-factor model perspective.BMC psychology · 2026Article
- Identifying the interactive pathways shaping health satisfaction among Chinese older adults with tourism participation.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Safety and Mental Health Outcomes of Oregon State-Regulated Psilocybin Services.JAMA network open · 2026Article
- Time trends and predictors of difficulties in getting to sleep among adolescents from six Nordic countries 2002-2018.Scandinavian journal of public health · 2026Article
- Buffering Effects of Physical Activity on Negative Life Events-Life Satisfaction Dynamics.Stress and health : journal of the International Society for the Investigation of Stress · 2026Article
- Hair cortisol and cortisone and psychological well-being: an analysis of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing.Comprehensive psychoneuroendocrinology · 2026Article
271 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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2 authors.
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Abstract
purposeThe present paper assessed the validity of single-item life satisfaction measures by comparing single-item measures to the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS)-a more psychometrically established measure.
methodsTwo large samples from Washington (N = 13,064) and Oregon (N = 2,277) recruited by the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and a representative German sample (N = 1,312) recruited by the Germany Socio-Economic Panel were included in the present analyses. Single-item life satisfaction measures and the SWLS were correlated with theoretically relevant variables, such as demographics, subjective health, domain satisfaction, and affect. The correlations between the two life satisfaction measures and these variables were examined to assess the construct validity of single-item life satisfaction measures.
resultsConsistent across three samples, single-item life satisfaction measures demonstrated substantial degree of criterion validity with the SWLS (zero-order r = 0.62-0.64; disattenuated r = 0.78-0.80). Patterns of statistical significance for correlations with theoretically relevant variables were the same across single-item measures and the SWLS. Single-item measures did not produce systematically different correlations compared to the SWLS (average difference = 0.001-0.005). The average absolute difference in the magnitudes of the correlations produced by single-item measures and the SWLS was very small (average absolute difference = 0.015-0.042).
conclusionsSingle-item life satisfaction measures performed very similarly compared to the multiple-item SWLS. Social scientists would get virtually identical answer to substantive questions regardless of which measure they use.
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