A brief measure of life satisfaction: psychometric properties and measurement invariance of the Polish three-item Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS-3).
6 affiliations
- 1Faculty of Philosophy and Education, Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, Eichstätt, Germany.
- 2Faculty of Psychology, Ignatianum University in Cracow, Cracow, Poland.
- 3Department of Economics, Psychology, Communication, Education, and Motor Sciences, University Niccolò Cusano, Rome, Italy.
- 4Institute of Psychology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland.
- 5Faculty of Social Sciences, The Pontifical University of John Paul II in Krakow, Cracow, Poland.
- 6Faculty of Education, Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University in Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland.
Abstract
Background
The Satisfaction with Life Scale-3 (SWLS-3) is a brief three-item version of the five-item Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), but it has not been validated in Poland. This study examined its psychometric properties, structural validity, measurement invariance across sex and between the Polish and original UK samples, and convergent validity with well-being, gratitude, awe, and forgiveness.Participants and procedure
A total of 506 Polish-speaking adults (M age = 27.70, SD = 7.72; 58.1% women) completed an online survey including the SWLS, the World Health Organization Five Well-Being Index (WHO-5), the Gratitude/Awe Questionnaire, and the Toussaint Forgiveness Scale. Structural validity was assessed by testing the fit of the hypothesized model. Measurement invariance across sex and samples was examined. Internal consistency was evaluated using Cronbach's alpha (α) and McDonald's omega (ω). Convergent and discriminant validity were assessed through associations with related constructs.Results
The SWLS-3 demonstrated good model fit. It showed configural, metric, and scalar invariance across sex. Across samples, metric invariance was supported, but scalar invariance was not achieved. Internal consistency was acceptable (α = .78, ω = .79). Scores were positively associated with well-being, gratitude and awe, and forgiveness.Conclusions
The SWLS-3 is a reliable and valid brief measure of life satisfaction, suitable for large-scale research, including cross-cultural research on associations, although caution is needed when comparing mean scores across countries.
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BibTeX
@article{skalskibednarz2026brief,
title = {{A brief measure of life satisfaction: psychometric properties and measurement invariance of the Polish three-item Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS-3).}},
author = {Sebastian Binyamin Skalski-Bednarz and Paolo Soraci and Patrycja Uram and Stanisław Radoń and Janusz Surzykiewicz},
journal = {Current issues in personality psychology},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.5114/cipp/226578},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42959834},
note = {CC BY-NC-SA},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - A brief measure of life satisfaction: psychometric properties and measurement invariance of the Polish three-item Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS-3).
AU - Sebastian Binyamin Skalski-Bednarz
AU - Paolo Soraci
AU - Patrycja Uram
AU - Stanisław Radoń
AU - Janusz Surzykiewicz
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/30
JO - Current issues in personality psychology
DO - 10.5114/cipp/226578
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42959834
AB - Background The Satisfaction with Life Scale-3 (SWLS-3) is a brief three-item version of the five-item Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), but it has not been validated in Poland. This study examined its psychometric properties, structural validity, measurement invariance across sex and between the Polish and original UK samples, and convergent validity with well-being, gratitude, awe, and forgiveness.Participants and procedure A total of 506 Polish-speaking adults (M age = 27.70, SD = 7.72; 58.1% women) completed an online survey including the SWLS, the World Health Organization Five Well-Being Index (WHO-5), the Gratitude/Awe Questionnaire, and the Toussaint Forgiveness Scale. Structural validity was assessed by testing the fit of the hypothesized model. Measurement invariance across sex and samples was examined. Internal consistency was evaluated using Cronbach's alpha (α) and McDonald's omega (ω). Convergent and discriminant validity were assessed through associations with related constructs.Results The SWLS-3 demonstrated good model fit. It showed configural, metric, and scalar invariance across sex. Across samples, metric invariance was supported, but scalar invariance was not achieved. Internal consistency was acceptable (α = .78, ω = .79). Scores were positively associated with well-being, gratitude and awe, and forgiveness.Conclusions The SWLS-3 is a reliable and valid brief measure of life satisfaction, suitable for large-scale research, including cross-cultural research on associations, although caution is needed when comparing mean scores across countries.
SN - 2353-4192
SN - 2353-561X
ER -