Psychometric properties and measurement invariance of the Czech version of the temporal satisfaction with life scale

Abstract

The aim of this study was to validate the Temporal Satisfaction with Life Scale (TSWLS; Pavot et al., 1998) in the Czech language, including the examination of its psychometric properties and measurement invariance by gender and age. The TSWLS is a 15-item instrument for measuring life satisfaction (LS) from a temporal perspective allowing the comparison of the level of life satisfaction in the past, present, and future. The analysis was based on a representative research sample (N = 427) of Czech people older than 18 years. The results confirmed the psychometric quality of the original three-factor structure of the TSWLS as very good in terms of reliability and validity; however, according to the confirmatory factor analysis, the model fit was poor. Some items were identified as problematic and were excluded, resulting in a 12-item version of the TSWLS (without the past1, present1, and future1 items) with correlated residuals between similar items from each subscale. This version provides an acceptable model fit and is recommended for use in future research. The findings from the measurement invariance indicated that the TSWLS allows meaningful comparison across gender and age, since scalar invariance was achieved.