Measuring Purpose In Life In Ethnic Minority Adolescents: Psychometric Validation of the Claremont Purpose Scale

Background and Purpose: Purpose in life (PIL) is central to adolescent identity development and is associated with better physical and mental health outcomes. Yet, conceptual/definitional inconsistency- particularly whether Beyond-the-Self (an intention to contribute to something greater than the self) is essential to PIL- has hindered synthesis across adolescent studies. The Claremont Purpose Scale (CPS) is a 12-item youth self-report measure (5-point Likert) assessing three interrelated dimensions of PIL: Meaning, Goal-Directedness, and Beyond-the-Self. Because the CPS was originally validated with mostly White emerging adults (ages 18 - 30), this study tested CPS validity in ethnically marginalized adolescents and examined whether each CPS dimension shows distinct associations with adolescent mental health indicators.

Methods: Participants (N = 138; 60% female; 85% U.S.-born) were recruited from two Latinx youth-serving agencies, a Pacific Islander afterschool program in a public high school, and a university-sponsored public event for minoritized high school students. Youth were in grades 8 - 12 (M age = 15.7, SD = 1.34) and self-identified primarily as Latinx (n = 70), Pacific Islander (n = 35), Asian American (n = 22), or Black/mixed-race (n = 11). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) tested a three first-order factor CPS model; internal consistency was evaluated for Meaning (α = .83), Goal-Directedness (α = .78), and Beyond-the-Self (α = .84). Criterion-related validity was examined using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ; internalizing, externalizing, and prosocial behaviors) and tobacco use (39%). Multiple linear and logistic regressions adjusted for adverse childhood experiences (ACEs; M = 2.97, SD = 2.40) and socioeconomic status (free/reduced lunch eligible; 64%).

Results: CFA supported the three-factor structure with good fit: χ²(51) = 76.69, p = .01; CFI = .959; TLI = .947; RMSEA = .060 (90% CI [.029, .097]); SRMR = .057. Standardized factor loadings ranged from .62 to .84 (all ps < .001), and factor intercorrelations were moderate (r = .23 – .43). In adjusted models, higher Meaning was associated with fewer internalizing (β = -0.36, p < .001) and externalizing behaviors (β = −0.20, p = .026). Higher Beyond-the-Self was associated with more prosocial behaviors (β = 0.37, p < .001). Higher Goal-Directedness was marginally associated with lower odds of tobacco use (AOR = 0.88, 95% CI [0.76, 1.02], p = .09).

Conclusions and Implications: Findings support the CPS as a reliable, multidimensional measure of PIL for ethnically marginalized adolescents, demonstrating each of the three subscales as valid and reliable measures of distinct dimensions of PIL. However, subscale-specific criterion patterns suggest interpreting CPS dimensions separately rather than relying solely on a total score. The modest intercorrelations indicate related but nonredundant content, making the CPS suitable for profiling dimension-specific strengths (e.g., meaning vs. beyond-the-self orientation) in prevention and intervention trials. Future psychometric studies should include measurement invariance tests across race/ethnicity, gender, and developmental stage. Also, comparing competing measurement models (e.g., bifactor) may further clarify the CPS structure.