The Meaning in Life Questionnaire: A Random Effects Reliability Generalization

Abstract

The Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ) is a 10-item self-report measure that assesses perceived meaning in life and search for meaning in life (Steger, Frazier, Oishi, & Kaler, 2006). A reliability generalization was conducted on the Presence and Search subscales of the MLQ to estimate the average reliability, examine the variability among the reliability estimates, and search for moderators. Articles that meet selection criteria were obtained from PsycINFO. Mixed effects analysis was conducted on 152 reliability estimates for the Presence subscale, and 89 reliability estimates for the Search subscale.

Both Presence and Search subscales showed high mean reliability estimates (above .85) and significant heterogeneity in estimates across studies. Language in which scale was administered explained a significant proportion of the variation in the Presence and Search subscales. Region was a significant moderator of reliability of the Search subscale only; regions outside of North America and Europe reported significantly lower reliability. Results indicate that even though the MLQ is highly reliable across samples, reliability varies significantly as a function of language and region. The results have implications of the conceptualization of meaning in life across diverse cultures.