PERCEIVED LIFE SATISFACTION SCALE
We are concerned about knowing what you like and
what you dislike. We know that not all students see
things in the same way. We’re going to read some things
to you so you can tell us how satisfied you are with
each of them. How satisfied do you usually feel when
you think about ...
Answer scale from: 1 5Low dissatisfaction to
65High dissatisfaction. Alternatively, answers can be
scored from 1 5Very dissatisfied to 6 5Very satisfied.
1.the amount of spending money you usually have?
2.the amount of time you can spend doing anything
you want?
3.the amount of control you have over your life?
4.going to school?
5.the opportunities you have to learn new things and
improve your skills?
6.your physical appearance, such as your height,
weight, hairstyle?7.your progress at school compared to others in
your classroom?
8.the way you get along with your mother?
9.the way you get along with your father?
10.how physically fit and energetic you are?
11.the amount of time you can spend watching TV?
12.the type of clothes you wear?
13.nonschool activities such as hobbies, sports?
14.the type of neighborhood where you live?
15.the type of place (home, apartment, etc.) where
you live?
16.the way you get along with your friends?
17.the goals you have set for your future?
18.the numbers of friends you have?
19.the type of job you’ll get when you stop going
to school?
Note: Reproduced with permission.
Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale (MSLSS)
(Huebner, 1994 )
Variable
The MSLSS was designed to provide a multidimensional assessment of children’s life satisfaction, for more
focused diagnostic, prevention, and intervention efforts. The MSLSS provides a profile of young people’s satisfac-
tion with important, specific domains (e.g., school, family, and friends) in their lives. Furthermore, a total score
can be calculated to assess general, overall life satisfaction. The MSLSS has been developed for children and ado-
lescents across a wide range of age (grades 3 /C012) and ability levels (e.g., children with mild developmental dis-
abilities through gifted children).
Description
The MSLSS consists of 40 items assessing domain-specific satisfaction with family (7 items), friends (9 items),
school (8 items), living environment (9 items), and self (7 items). Ten of the 40 items are reverse keyed. The items
were designed to be simple and easy to read, and thus, to be adequate for a wide range of age and intellectual
ability. Whereas in early studies (e.g., Huebner, 1994 ), the MSLSS used a 4-point response format ranging from
15never to 45almost always , the current form uses a 6-point Likert-type response format ranging from
15strongly disagree to 65strongly agree (cf.Huebner, 2001 ). As the domains consist of unequal number of items,
the five domain scores and the total score are created by summing the related item responses and dividing by
the number of domain (or total) items.
Sample
Sample 1 ( N5312) consisted of grades 3 /C08 children having a mean age of 10.90 years. Sample 2 ( N5413) con-
sisted of grades 3 /C05 children with a mean age of 8.97 years. Both samples used the 4-point response
format. Sample 1 yielded domain-specific means for the subscales labeled: friends ( M53.31, SD50.57), family
(M53.10, SD50.64), school ( M52.65, SD50.64), self ( M53.13, SD50.63), and living environment ( M53.11,
SD50.62). Sample 2 yielded domain-specific means for the subscales labeled: friends ( M53.30, SD50.56), fam-
ily ( M53.34, SD50.60), school ( M53.02, SD50.68), self ( M53.21, SD50.61), and living environment
(M53.27, SD50.62) (cf. Huebner, 1994 ).124 5. MEASURES OF LIFE SATISFACTION ACROSS THE LIFESPAN
II. EMOTIONAL DISPOSITIONS