Psychology15 papers
Measuring the unmeasurable: Psychometric tools for Existential Concerns
Key psychometric instruments for measuring existential concerns: meaning in life, existential isolation, and existential anxiety.
ES
Evgeny Smirnov
All Reviews
PsychologyNiche
intermediate
Meaning in Life Questionnaire: Validation for Chinese Adolescents
Xiang Zhao et al. (2025)
- Published
- Aug 27, 2025
- DOI
- 10.1177/09731342251359819
At a GlanceAI
Validates the Meaning in Life Questionnaire for Chinese adolescents, confirming its two-factor structure but flagging issues in two items.
SummaryAI
The study strengthens evidence that the Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ) can be used to assess meaning in life among Chinese adolescents, a group with previously limited methodological validation. Using a large, provincially representative school sample, it confirms the MLQ’s two-factor structure (Presence and Search) and supports overall reliability. At the same time, item-level response patterns raise concerns about the final two items, implying they may function differently and merit closer scrutiny (e.g., subgroup-specific interpretation). The findings support broader research and clinical use of the MLQ in Chinese youth while highlighting where measurement refinement may be needed.
Method SnapshotAI
Psychometric validation using confirmatory factor analysis and reliability/item-level analyses in a large adolescent school sample.
BackgroundAI
Basic psychometrics (factor structure, reliability) and existential psychology concepts around meaning in life (Presence vs Search).