The structure of the Life Satisfaction Index A in elderly Israeli adults

Neugaraten et al.'s Life Satisfaction Index A (LSIA) is a widely used instrument for measuring subjective well-being among elderly adults, and the generalizability of its structure in different cultural contexts should be established [1]. The present study investigated the structure of the LSIA in older Israeli adults by exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Exploratory factor analyses in Sample 1 (N = 267) yielded three factors of Zest, Mood Tone, and Congruence. Unlike previous studies in the United States, Zest emerged in alternate forms, labeled Zest-Via-Time and Zest-Via-Interest. Confirmatory factor analyses were conducted in Sample 1 and Sample 2 (N = 154) according to Liang's [2] model specifications, assuming a second-order factor. When previously suggested factorial compositions were tested, Liang's [2] and Hoyt and Creech's [3] three-factor models fit the data, while Adams' [4] model did not. Hoyt and Creech's [3] four-factor model provided no improvement on the two, three-factor models. When the present factorial compositions were tested, a three-factor model with Zest-Via-Interest best fit Sample 1, while an alternate three-factor model with Zest-Via-Time best fit Sample 2. A four-factor model with both forms of Zest provided no improvement on the best fitting three-factor models. The results support the generalizability of a three-factor structure with a second-order factor but suggest two different variations of Zest. Cross-cultural as well as other implications concerning subjective well-being in elderly adults are discussed.