Love and Hate: The Convergent and Divergent Validity of the Love of Life Scale in University Students from Lebanon

Ahmed M. Abdel-Khalek, Ghinwa Haj Diab and Mayssah A. El Nayal

Published: 2025/09/01

Abstract

The main aim of the present study on Lebanese participants was to replicate earlier studies, specifically to compare its results with those of two previous studies conducted on participants from Libya and Sudan living in a stable socio-political state. The Lebanese sample of the present study was exposed to Israeli aggression during the last two months of the year 2024. A volunteer convenience sample of students from four Lebanese universities in Beirut took part in the study (N = 236). Results indicate that women had significantly higher mean total scores for anxiety than did men, whereas men had significantly higher mean total scores for happiness than did women. All the associations between love of life (LOL) and the positive traits (optimism, happiness, and mental health) were statistically significant and positive in men and women. All the LOL associations with negative traits (suicidality, anxiety, and pessimism) were statistically significant and negative, except one. The results support the convergent and divergent validity of the LOL scale. Principal components analysis extracted two components in men and women which were labeled “Positive traits” and “Negative traits”. The LOL correlations and factor loadings were higher on the positive traits than the negative traits, indicating the placement of LOL in the subjective well-being nexus. The Israeli aggression seemed to have no effect on the LOL mean score, probably because of its short duration of two months.

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