Development and structure of the meaning of life dimensional scale

In recent years, the interest for identifying specific factors that may influence our health has greatly increased, especially issues like meaning of life, happiness and pursuit of goals. From the humanistic and logotherapeutic approaches, the meaning of life is, in general, a key factor for a healthy life. In Latin America, very few tests have been developed and validated to measure the meaning of life. The purpose of this research was to develop the Dimensional Scale of Sense of Life, understood as existential coherence and purpose in life. The development of the scale was performed by constructing the instrument to assess its structure and psychometric characteristics. 820 people, women and men, participated, aged 20 and 70 years. Results suggest that the test has high internal consistency and a two-dimensional structure, one that assesses the existential coherence, and the other, the life purpose of people.