Life satisfaction is one factor in the more general construct of subjective well being.
Theory and research from fields outside of rehabilitation have suggested that subjective well being has at least three components, positive affective appraisal, negative affective appraisal, and life satisfaction. Life satisfaction is distinguished from affective appraisal in that it is more cognitively than emotionally driven. The SWLS is a global measure of life satisfaction. The SWLS consists of 5-items that are completed by the individual whose life satisfaction is being measured.