title: CONSTRUCTION AND VALIDATION OF A MEANING IN LIFE SCALE IN THE TAIWANESE CULTURAL CONTEXT.
abstract: The objective was to construct and validate a Chinese-language Meaning in Life Scale (MiLS) and to assess its psychometric properties. The three most popular scales have some weaknesses and are grounded in a Western cultural context. Consequently, a comprehensive and psychometrically adequate meaning in life scale is needed for use in Asian samples. 500 randomly selected participants from the Taiwanese public provided 476 valid responses to a written questionnaire. The participants' ages ranged from 18 to 63 years (M age = 42.3 yr.; 181 men, 295 women). Exploratory factor analysis reduced the initial 41 items to 33 items, based on a 5-point rating scale. Five factors were extracted: Contented with life (10 items; 33.20% of total variance), Goals in life (5 items; 6.95%), Enthusiasm and commitment (7 items; 6.28%), Understanding (6 items; 5.41%), and Sense or meaning to human existence (5 items; 4.57%). The MiLS showed satisfactory internal consistency and test-retest reliability, and concurrent validity. Therefore, the MiLS was found to be a valid and reliable instrument to measure the subjective sense of a meaning in life in the Taiwanese cultural context.
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Applied Foreign Languages, Chung Shan Medical University.|2 Department of Medical Education, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital.
authors.forename: Ya-Huei
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: 2 Department of Medical Education, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital.|3 Department of Health Services Administration, Chung Shan Medical University.
authors.forename: Hung-Chang
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Liao
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003469:Culture; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006040:Goals; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D011594:Psychometrics; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*; D013624:Taiwan; D055815:Young Adult