Life Satisfaction Questionnaire

Abstract

The Life Satisfaction Questionnaire (LSQ) is a concise psychometric properties instrument designed to measure an individual’s subjective evaluation of their overall Life satisfaction. Developed initially by Fugl-Meyer AR, et al. in 1991, the LSQ comprises 9 items. These items assess both general satisfaction with life and satisfaction within specific, key life domains. The scale is widely utilized in clinical and research settings, particularly for assessing outcomes in rehabilitation and general well-being studies among adult populations.

Keywords

Life Satisfaction, LSQ, Fugl-Meyer, Quality of Life, Subjective Well-being, Satisfaction Assessment, Psychological Scale, Participation, Adults, Elderly.

Authors

Fugl-Meyer AR, Fugl-Meyer KS, et al. (Original Development, 1991); Post MWM (Dutch Adaptation, 1998).

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Purpose

The primary purpose of the Life Satisfaction Questionnaire is to provide a quick yet multidimensional assessment of an individual’s perceived quality of life. Unlike scales that focus solely on negative emotional states or objective circumstances, the LSQ targets the cognitive component of well-being—how satisfied the respondent feels about their life situation.

The instrument is specifically structured to capture satisfaction across various domains, ensuring that the resulting score is a comprehensive reflection of the individual’s subjective experience. This makes the LSQ particularly useful for tracking changes in well-being over time, such as during rehabilitation interventions or long-term care planning, and for assessing general participation levels.

Construct

The LSQ measures the psychological construct of Life satisfaction, which is generally defined as a global cognitive judgment of one’s life. This construct is recognized as a central component of subjective well-being.

The scale operationalizes this construct through nine distinct items. These items typically cover important domains such as functional status, vocational situation, leisure activities, interpersonal relationships, and general feelings about life. By assessing satisfaction across these specific areas, the LSQ provides a nuanced perspective on where an individual feels content or dissatisfied, moving beyond a simple, single-item global measure.

Validity

The original validation studies conducted by Fugl-Meyer and colleagues established the validity of the LSQ. Initial findings typically support strong content validity, ensuring that the 9 items adequately cover the necessary aspects of life satisfaction relevant to the target population.

Furthermore, criterion validity is generally supported by demonstrating significant correlations between LSQ scores and scores on other established measures of quality of life and subjective well-being, such as the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) and various quality of life indices used in medical and rehabilitation contexts. Construct validity is often confirmed through expected correlations with measures of depression (negative correlation) and functional independence (positive correlation).

Reliability

The reliability of the Life Satisfaction Questionnaire is typically reported as high, indicating good internal consistency and stability over time. Internal consistency, often measured using Cronbach’s alpha, generally exceeds the acceptable threshold of 0.70 in diverse samples, suggesting that the 9 items reliably measure the underlying global construct of life satisfaction.

Test-retest reliability studies, which measure the consistency of scores when the instrument is administered to the same individuals on two separate occasions, have also generally shown high stability, particularly when the time interval is short and no significant life changes are expected to have occurred between administrations. This stability supports its use in longitudinal research.

Factor Analysis

Factor analysis of the Life Satisfaction Questionnaire typically reveals a structure supportive of both a general factor of life satisfaction and specific domain factors. While the scale is short (9 items), exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses often suggest that the scale is highly unidimensional, meaning the items primarily load onto one main factor representing overall subjective well-being.

However, the design allows for sub-scores related to the specific domains (e.g., social life, physical health), which researchers may analyze separately. The strong inter-item correlations, typical of highly reliable scales, often justify the use of a single total score for general assessment purposes.

Instrument

Test Type: Questionnaire

Format: Self-report rating scale, typically utilizing a Likert-type response format to gauge the degree of satisfaction.

Language Available: Swedish (Original), Dutch (Nederlandse versie), and likely translations in other European languages.

Population Group: Clinical and non-clinical populations, particularly those undergoing rehabilitation or living with chronic conditions.

Age Group: Adults and Elderly.

Population Details: The scale is frequently applied to measure general participation and quality of life in older adults and middle-aged individuals.

Test Methodology: Can be administered either self-report style or through a structured interview format, depending on the cognitive or physical capabilities of the respondent.

Keywords

Psychometrics, Domains, Gerontology, Rehabilitation, Subjective Well-being, Quality of Life Assessment, Self-Report, Fugl-Meyer AR, Post MWM.

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Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Information not available in source material.

Affiliation Email addresses: Information not available in source material.

Correspondence Address: Information not available in source material.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The original version of the Life Satisfaction Questionnaire was published in 1991 by Fugl-Meyer AR, et al. The widely used Dutch adaptation was published by Post MWM in 1998. Researchers interested in using the LSQ should seek appropriate academic permission from the primary authors or the relevant adaptation copyright holders. Information regarding commercial fees for large-scale application is subject to the policies of the distributing entity.

Reference’s

The core references for the Life Satisfaction Questionnaire include the foundational work by Fugl-Meyer et al. (1991) establishing the scale’s initial structure and psychometric properties, and the adaptation by Post MWM (1998) for Dutch-speaking populations.

The explanatory form (Toelichtingsformulier) for the LSQ can be downloaded here: LSQ-form.pdf.

The original test instrument (Meetinstrument) can be downloaded here: LSQ-meetinstr.pdf.

• Fugl-Meyer AR, Fugl-Meyer KS, & Svärdsudd K. (1991). The Life Satisfaction Questionnaire (LSQ): dimensions of life satisfaction in a Swedish population. Scandinavian Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine, 23(1), 13-23.
• Post MWM. (1998). Nederlandse versie van de Life Satisfaction Questionnaire (LSQ). [Dutch Version of the Life Satisfaction Questionnaire].

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Items of the Life Satisfaction Questionnaire

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way. The specific text of the 9 items of the Life Satisfaction Questionnaire was not provided in the source content. Generally, the LSQ assesses satisfaction across domains such as:

• Satisfaction with vocational situation/daily activities.
• Satisfaction with financial situation.
• Satisfaction with leisure activities.
• Satisfaction with contact with friends and acquaintances.
• Satisfaction with sexual life.
• Satisfaction with family life.
• Satisfaction with partner relationship.
• Satisfaction with health.
• Satisfaction with life as a whole.