Confirmatory factor analysis of the Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale (UCLA LS-R) in individuals over 65

Goals: The UCLA LS-R is the most extensively used scale to assess loneliness. However, few studies examine the scale's use on older individuals. The goal of the study is to analyse the suitability of the scale´s structure for assessing older individuals. Method: The UCLA LS-R scale was administ...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Aging & mental health 2019-03, Vol.23 (3), p.345-351
Main Authors: Ausín, Berta, Muñoz, Manuel, Martín, Teresa, Pérez-Santos, Eloísa, Castellanos, Miguel Ángel
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adults
Confirmatory factor analysis
Cronbach's alpha
Discriminant analysis
Empirical analysis
Factor analysis
factor structure
Geriatric psychiatry
Geriatric psychology
Loneliness
older individuals
Older people
Primary care
Questionnaires
Suitability
UCLA LS-R
Women
Womens health
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Summary:Goals: The UCLA LS-R is the most extensively used scale to assess loneliness. However, few studies examine the scale's use on older individuals. The goal of the study is to analyse the suitability of the scale´s structure for assessing older individuals. Method: The UCLA LS-R scale was administered to a random sample of 409 community-dwelling residents of Madrid (53% women) aged 65-84 years (obtained from the MentDis_ICF65+ study). Confirmatory factor analysis was used to assess the factor structure of the UCLA LS-R. Results: The internal consistency of the scale obtained a Cronbach's alpha of .85. All the analysed models of factor structure of the UCLA LS-R achieved a fairly good fit and RMSEA values over .80. The models that best fit the empirical data are those of Hojat (1982) and Borges et al. (2008). Conclusion: The data suggest an equivalent effectiveness of UCLA LS-R in adults under 65 and over 65, which may indicate a similar structure of the loneliness construct in both populations. This outcome is consistent with the idea that loneliness has two dimensions: emotional loneliness and social loneliness. The use of short measures that are easy to apply and interpret should help primary care professionals identify loneliness problems in older individuals sooner and more accurately.
ISSN:1360-7863
1364-6915
DOI:10.1080/13607863.2017.1423036