Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale (MSLSS)

Generic-Specific Modules

Measure domains: MSLSS & MSLSS Brief: Family, Friends, School, Living Environment, Self MSLSS-A: Family; same sex friends; school; living environment; self; opposite sex relationship

Summary of development:

Huebner (1991) developed the unidimensional, 7-item Student Life Satisfaction Scale (SLSS), which was used as basis for MSLSS. SLSS developed and tested with 254 US Midwestern school kids ages 7-14, grades 3-8.   For MSLSS, fourteen items were generated to tap each of the five specific domains of family, friends, self, school, and living environment (an overall domain was tested but later excluded). The domains were selected based on a literature review, pilot interviews with elementary school children, and the developer’s experience.  The 70-item survey was completed by students grades 3-5 for exploratory factor analysis and item correlations.  After cleaning, 40 items remained.

MSLSS-Adolescent version developed to be more specific to a particular age group for developmental appropriateness. Relationships with opposite sex peers was added.  Item and factor analysis used to guide item selection, test/retest & compared to like items. The original 91 questions were reduced to 53 questions.

A 6-item version was first published in 2003 (Seligson, Social indicators research) that has one overall question and one question from each of the five domains.  The overall question was then dropped to create a 5-item version.