ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychol.
Sec. Positive Psychology
Psychometric properties of the Purpose in Life scale in Peruvian university Students
Vilma Vilca Pareja 1
Rodrigo-Alejandro Ardiles-Irarrázabal 2,3
Manuel Edmundo Hillpa-Zuñiga 4
Victor Yana-Calla 5
1. Escuela de Posgrado, Estudios Generales., Universidad Catolica de Santa Maria de Arequipa, Pedro Vilcapaza, Peru
2. University of Antofagasta, Antofagasta, Chile
3. Department Of Nursing, University Of Antofagasta., Antofagasta, Chile
4. Escuela Profesional de Ingeniería Comercial, Facultad de Ciencias Económico Administrativas, Universidad Catolica de Santa Maria de Arequipa, Pedro Vilcapaza, Peru
5. Escuela Profesional de Psicología, Universidad Catolica de Santa Maria de Arequipa, Pedro Vilcapaza, Peru
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Abstract
Purpose in Life is an important psychosocial resource during the university stage. This study validated the abbreviated version of the scale (PILEA-4) in Peruvian students, as no previous validations exist in Latin America. A total of 1,006 students from public and private universities in Arequipa participated (55.5% women; ages 17–30). The PILEA-4 (4 Likert-type items) and a positive youth development questionnaire (5Cs) were administered. Given the multivariate non-normality, a unidimensional model was estimated through confirmatory factor analysis using robust maximum likelihood, reporting χ², df, CFI, TLI, SRMR, and RMSEA with confidence intervals. The model showed good global fit (CFI=.985; TLI=.956; SRMR=.023; RMSEA=.079, 95% CI .054– .108), with standardized loadings ranging from .69 to .90. The scale demonstrated high reliability (omega=.873) and convergent validity (average variance extracted=.641; correlations with the 5Cs ranging from .19–.57). Multigroup analysis confirmed sex invariance up to the strict level, enabling valid comparisons between women and men. Overall, the findings provide solid psychometric evidence for the use of the PILEA-4 as a brief measure for screening and tracking purpose in life in Peruvian university settings and represent, to our knowledge, the first validation reported in the region.
Summary
Keywords
Emerging adults, Eudaimonic well-being, PILEA-4, positive youth development, Psychometric validation, Purpose in life, university students
Received
19 December 2025
Accepted
09 February 2026
Copyright
© 2026 Vilca Pareja, Ardiles-Irarrázabal, Hillpa-Zuñiga and Yana-Calla. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Rodrigo-Alejandro Ardiles-Irarrázabal
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