A cross-sectional study of life satisfaction and happiness in a sample of Kazakh general population

Abstract

The article presents the results of a cross-sectional survey conducted with the aim of adapting the life satisfaction scale in the Kazakh language applying happiness scale as a reference. Participants of this study were Kazakh-speaking residents of  Kazakhstan (N = 417) aged from 16 to 70 years old (Mean age = 27 years, SD = 8.8). During this research, the compliance of the sample group with the normal distribution law was checked and parametric methods were used to analyze the indicators. The Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) developed by Diener and his colleagues (1985) was translated into Kazakh and adapted to the characteristics of the nation and language. The Cronbach's Alpha coefficient for total and individual items was above 0.8, and the reliability of the technique was statistically confirmed. The Oxford Happiness Questionnaire which had been previously adapted into the Kazakh language, was used to determine the level of happiness of respondents. In order to justify the relationship between life satisfaction and happiness, Pearson correlation analysis was carried out. As a result it was found that there was a direct positive correlation between these variables (r = 0,688; p < 0,01). An analysis of variance determined that life satisfaction affects happiness. In regression analysis life satisfaction explained 45% of the variance in happiness. These results provide important contribution to the adaptational process of the life satisfaction scale which can be used by researchers and psychologists in the field of positive psychology when working with Kazakh-speaking people.