Performance of an Abbreviated Version of the Lubben Social Network Scale Among Three European Community-Dwelling Older Adult Populations

• Published in: The Gerontologist 2006-08, Vol.46 (4), p.503-513
• Main Authors: Lubben, James, Blozik, Eva, Gillmann, Gerhard, Iliffe, Steve, von Renteln Kruse, Wolfgang, Beck, John C., Stuck, Andreas E.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Confidence intervals; Cross-Cultural Comparison; England; Family - psychology; Friends - psychology; Friendship; Geriatric Assessment - methods; Germany; Health; Health behavior; Health promotion; Humans; Instruments; Internationality; Intervention; Intervention study; Male; Mental depression; Population; Psychological Tests - standards; Reproducibility of Results; Residence Characteristics; Risk factors; Scale development; Social Isolation; Social Isolation - psychology; Social Networks; Social Support; Switzerland
• ISSN: 0016-9013; 1758-5341
• DOI: 10.1093/geront/46.4.503

Purpose: There is a need for valid and reliable short scales that can be used to assess social networks and social supports and to screen for social isolation in older persons. Design and Methods: The present study is a cross-national and cross-cultural evaluation of the performance of an abbreviated version of the Lubben Social Network Scale (LSNS-6), which was used to screen for social isolation among community-dwelling older adult populations in three European countries. Based on the concept of lack of redundancy of social ties we defined clinical cut-points of the LSNS-6 for identifying persons deemed at risk for social isolation. Results: Among all three samples, the LSNS-6 and two subscales (Family and Friends) demonstrated high levels of internal consistency, stable factor structures, and high correlations with criterion variables. The proposed clinical cut-points showed good convergent validity, and classified 20% of the respondents in Hamburg, 11% of those in Solothurn (Switzerland), and 15% of those in London as at risk for social isolation. Implications: We conclude that abbreviated scales such as the LSNS-6 should be considered for inclusion in practice protocols of gerontological practitioners. Screening older persons based on the LSNS-6 provides quantitative information on their family and friendship ties, and identifies persons at increased risk for social isolation who might benefit from in-depth assessment and targeted interventions.