Longitudinal reliability of the Life Satisfaction Index (Short Form) with nursing home residents: a cautionary note.

We administered the Life Satisfaction Index (Short Form) 18 times over a 39-wk. period to an initial sample of 76 old, frail, multiply impaired, and depressed nursing home residents participating in a longitudinal quasi-experimental study of the effects of cognitive group interventions on cognition and depression. As no changes over time were observed on the outcome variable of life satisfaction, the stability of the instrument's internal consistency could be examined. Kuder-Richardson KR-20 coefficients ranged from .11 to .60, with a mean of .42 (SD = .11). We conclude that caution should be used when applying this instrument to measure life satisfaction in frail nursing home residents.