Purpose-in-life testComparison of the main models in patients with mental disorders

  1. Joaquín García-Alandete 1
  2. José H. Marco 1
  3. Sandra Pérez 1
  1. 1 Universidad Católica de Valencia San Vicente Mártir
    info

    Universidad Católica de Valencia San Vicente Mártir

    Valencia, España

    ROR https://ror.org/03d7a9c68

Journal:
The Spanish Journal of Psychology

ISSN: 1138-7416

Year of publication: 2017

Volume: 20

Type: Article

DOI: 10.1017/SJP.2017.28 DIALNET GOOGLE SCHOLAR lock_openOpen access editor

More publications in: The Spanish Journal of Psychology

Abstract

The aim of this study was to compare the main proposed models for the Purpose-In-Life Test, a scale for assessing meaning in life, in 229 Spanish patients with mental disorders (195 females and 34 males, aged 13–68, M = 34.43, SD = 12.19). Confirmatory factor-analytic procedures showed that the original model of the Purpose-In-Life Test, a 20-item unidimensional scale, obtained a better fit than the other analyzed models, SBχ2(df) = 326.27(170), SBχ2/df = 1.92, TLI = .93, CFI = .94, IFI = .94, RMSEA = .063 (90% CI [.053, .074]), CAIC = –767.46, as well as a high internal consistency, (α = .90). The main conclusion is that the original version of the Purpose-In-Life shows a robust construct validity in a clinical population. However, authors recommend an in-depth psychometric analysis of the Purpose-In-Life Test among clinical population. Likewise, the importance of assessing meaning in life in order to enhance psychotherapeutic treatment is noted.

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