The Meaning in Life Questionnaire: A Random Effects Reliability Generalization
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Date
2017-05-30
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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.
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Keywords
Reliability generalization, cronbach's alpha, reliability, meaning in life, cultural differences, meta-analysis