Psychometric properties of the purpose in life scale in Peruvian university students

Purpose in Life is a key psychosocial resource during the university stage, contributing to psychological adjustment and well-being. To date, no psychometric validations of the abbreviated Purpose in Life scale (PILEA-4) have been reported in Latin America. This study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the PILEA-4 in a sample of Peruvian university students.

A total of 1,006 students (55.5% women; ages 17-30) from public and private universities in Arequipa, Peru, participated. The PILEA-4 (four Likert-type items) and a Positive Youth Development questionnaire (5Cs) were administered. Due to multivariate non-normality, a unidimensional model was estimated through confirmatory factor analysis using robust maximum likelihood. Model fit was evaluated using χ², df, CFI, TLI, SRMR, and RMSEA with confidence intervals. Reliability (omega) and convergent validity (average variance extracted and correlations with the 5Cs) were examined. Measurement invariance across sex was tested through multigroup analysis.

The unidimensional model showed good global fit (CFI = 0.985; TLI = 0.956; SRMR = 0.023; RMSEA = 0.079, 95% CI 0.054-0.108), with standardized loadings ranging from 0.69 to 0.90. The scale demonstrated high reliability (ω = 0.873) and adequate convergent validity (AVE = 0.641; correlations with the 5Cs ranged from 0.19 to 0.57). Multigroup analyses confirmed measurement invariance across sex up to the strict level, supporting valid comparisons between women and men.

These findings provide solid psychometric evidence supporting the use of the PILEA-4 as a brief measure for screening and monitoring purpose in life in Peruvian university settings. To our knowledge, this represents the first validation of the PILEA-4 reported in Latin America.