Evaluation of the life satisfaction questionnaire (LSQ) using structural equation modelling (SEM)

Area of Science:

• Psychometrics
• Health Psychology
• Oncology

Background:

• Assessing quality of life is crucial for breast cancer patients.
• The Life Satisfaction Questionnaire (LSQ) was developed for Swedish women with breast cancer.
• Previous reliability and validity testing involved separate samples of women.

Purpose of the Study:

• To perform confirmatory factor analyses on the Life Satisfaction Questionnaire (LSQ).
• To validate the LSQ's theoretical model using structural equation modeling.
• To assess the LSQ's factor structure in both women with breast cancer and the general Swedish population, including men.

Main Methods:

• Confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) using structural equation modeling (SEM).
• Utilized the STREAMS software for analysis.
• Employed a combined sample of Swedish women (n=520) and men (n=263), and a subgroup of women with breast cancer.

Main Results:

• The confirmatory factor analyses confirmed the original theoretical model's factor structure.
• The six latent factors identified were: physical symptoms (PS), sickness impact (SI), quality of everyday activities (QDA), socio-economic situation (SES), quality of family relation (QFA), and quality of close friend relationship (QFR).

Conclusions:

• The factor structure of the Life Satisfaction Questionnaire (LSQ) is robust and confirmed.
• The LSQ is a valid instrument for assessing life satisfaction across different groups, including women with breast cancer and the general population.
• The validated factors provide a comprehensive measure of quality of life relevant to health and well-being.