This research aimed to adapt the Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ) gathering evidence of its factorial validity and reliability. Two studies were held with undergraduate students from Joao Pessoa, Paraiba state, Brazil. In Study 1, participants were 414 volunteers, mostly female (63.5%), with a mean age of 28.2 (sd = 9.56). Study 2 involved 201 subjects, mostly female (74.6%), with a mean age of 26.7 (sd = 9.50). The participants of both studies answered the MLQ and demographic questions. The participants of Study 2 also answered the following instruments: Purpose of Life Test (Pil-Test) and Ontological Time Perception Scale (OTPS). In Study 1, a confirmatory factor analysis was performed, suggesting the appropriateness of the two-factor structure [GFI = .94, AGFI = .90, CFI = .95, and RMSEA = 0.086]; the Cronbach's alphas of these factors were .89 (search for meaning) and .85 (presence of sense). In Study 2, we observed evidence of convergent validity of the MLQ with respect to the Pil-Test and OTPS. In conclusion, the MLQ was considered an appropriate instrument to measure the life purpose in the way it was proposed, being useful in research in the Brazilian context.
Meaning in life; Validity; Adaptation
