Short measures of interpersonal and university mattering: Evaluation of psychometric properties

Mattering is the subjective perception that others are aware of us, care about us, and depend on us at the interpersonal (e.g., friends) and societal levels (e.g., workplace, school). Interpersonal and university mattering explain important variances in college students’ well-being and academic performance; therefore, shorter, more tailored measures of mattering may be useful to campus personnel who work closely with students (e.g., student affairs). We evaluated a 12-item interpersonal mattering measure (IM-S) and a 10-item university mattering measure (UM-S), shortened forms of the Interpersonal Mattering Index and the Unified Measure of University Mattering, respectively. In Study 1, both original measures were administered to a sample of college students (N = 180) and exploratory factor analyses determined items to retain for further analysis. In Study 2, the shortened measures were administered to another sample of college students (N = 447). Confirmatory factor analyses and supporting psychometrics showed preliminary evidence for reliability, discriminant validity, and proof of concept. The IM-S and UM-S measures provide researchers and academic institutions with brief alternatives to facilitate research on how programs and initiatives may promote mattering among students.