Validity of relational meaning in life scale in Chinese high school students between rural and urban area

ABSTRACT

The study aims to examine the cross-cultural applicability and psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the Relationship Meaning in Life (RMIL) scale By collecting data from 3583 high school students in economically disparate urban and rural areas in China, we seek to explore whether this measure demonstrates cross-cultural validity and reliability and investigate its unique explanatory power in addition to meaning in life (MIL). Our results support the two-factor structure of RMIL and its measurement invariance in gender and area. The correlation pattern and mediation model support the RMIL, which is not redundant to the variable meaning in life. The IRT and factor analysis results indicated some future concerns about specific item problems. Cultural and areas differences have been discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Relational meaning in life
• meaning in life
• Chinese high school students
• item response theory

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Haocheng Huang

Haocheng Huang is a counselor in South China Normal University. He gains both bachelor degree and master degree in psychology from South China Normal University. His research interests are in adolescent relationships, sense of meaning, and counseling techniques.

Zhaoming Chen

Zhaoming Chen is a graduate student from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen. He received the bachelor's degree in psychology from the South China Normal University. His research primarily focus on meaning in life and well-being.

Yingtao Meng

Yingtao Meng is a graduate student from the Chinese University of Hongkong, Shenzhen. She completed her undergraduate study in Jilin University. Her research interest is in counselling and aging.

Zizhen Feng

Zizhen Feng is a graduate student from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen. She received her bachelor's degree from the University of California, Irvine. Her research interest is in preschool education and child development.

Xuelan Liu

XueLan Liu is a Professor of Educational Psychology at South China Normal University. Her main research interests include mental health of children and adolescents, parent–child relationship, intimate relationship, monitoring and control in metacognition.