A systematic review of loneliness and social isolation scales used in epidemics and pandemics

Das, Aparna; Padala, Kalpana P.; Crawford, Christina; Teo, Alan R.; Mendez, Diana M.; Phillips, Olive A.; Wright, Bill; House, Samuel J.; Padala, Prasad R.

doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2021.114217

Cited by 24 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 21 publications

(30 reference statements)

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“…Loneliness was measured using the UCLA 3-item loneliness scale [ 56 ], which has been the scale used most often to measure loneliness during the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic [ 57 ]. This scale comprises 3 questions that measure three dimensions of loneliness (relational connectedness).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

From Physical Distancing to Social Loneliness among Gay Men and Other Men Having Sex with Men in Belgium: Examining the Disruption of the Social Network and Social Support Structures

Thunnissen

Buffel

Reyniers

et al. 2022

IJERPH

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Since the start of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, levels of loneliness have increased among the general population and especially among sexual minorities, such as gay men and other men who have sex with men, who already experienced more problems with social isolation before the pandemic. We analyzed how the disruption of the social network and social support structures by containment measures impact loneliness among gay and other men having sex with men. Our sample consisted of gay and other men having sex with men who had in person communication with family as well as heterosexual friends and homosexual friends before the lockdown (N = 461). Multivariate regression analyses were performed with social provisions (social interaction and reliable alliance) and loneliness as dependent variables. A change from in-person communication with gay peers before the pandemic to remote-only or no communication with gay peers during the pandemic, mediated by change in social integration, was related to an increased feeling of loneliness during the pandemic compared with before the pandemic. There were some unexpected findings, which should be interpreted in the specific social context of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. On average, social integration and reliable alliance among MSM increased during the lockdown, even though in-person communication decreased and loneliness increased. Our results show it is critical to maintain a view of social support and social loneliness as lodged within larger social and cultural contexts that ultimately shape the mechanisms behind them.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

From Physical Distancing to Social Loneliness among Gay Men and Other Men Having Sex with Men in Belgium: Examining the Disruption of the Social Network and Social Support Structures

Thunnissen

Buffel

Reyniers

et al. 2022

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Varias versiones cortas del UCLA-LS, denominadas según el número de preguntas incluidas, que se desarrollaron para reducir la longitud del cuestionario y aumentar la tasa de respuesta en la práctica clínica y los estudios longitudinales. Una revisión sistemática ha evaluado la validez y confiabilidad concluyendo que hay evidencia alta de que las versiones cortas UCLA: 10, 7, 6 y 4, serían más útiles en investigación práctica clínica relacionadas con la soledad 26 .…”

Section: Prevención Aislamiento Socialunclassified

“…Los objetivos serian: conservar autonomía, adecuación de la vivienda, fomentar las redes de apoyo sanitario y social, realizar programas de enriquecimiento y participación social y actividades que aumenten la amistad, la autoestima y el bienestar 20 , 26 .…”

Section: Prevención Aislamiento Socialunclassified

Actividades preventivas en el mayor. Actualización PAPPS 2022

Benito¹,

Pliego²,

Díez³

et al. 2022

Atención Primaria

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“…Das et al [38] reviewed the loneliness scales used in pandemics and found that the UCLA-3, UCLA-8, and UCLA-10 were the three short versions of the UCLA-20 most frequently used, specifically in 56% of the studies they reviewed. In this study, we investigated the psychometric properties of three short versions of the UCLA Loneliness Scale, including two versions previously used, i.e., the 10-item version [20] and the eight-item version [35], as well as a five-item version developed in this study.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of Loneliness During the Pandemic: Comparing Various Short Forms of the UCLA Loneliness Scale in South Africa Using Classical Test Theory and Mokken Analysis

Pretorius¹,

Padmanabhanunni²

2022

OBM Neurobiol

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An important mental health concern arising from the COVID-19 pandemic was the loneliness resulting from the lockdown measures taken by many countries due to the outbreak. Thus, loneliness needs to be studied in detail for intervention purposes. The UCLA Loneliness Scale is the most widely used measure of loneliness. However, the 20-item measure has some drawbacks, including questionnaire fatigue, especially when used with other measures, and a lack of accurate responses to all items. In this study, we evaluated two short forms of the UCLA Loneliness Scale used in other studies (UCLA-10 and UCLA-8), as well as a five-item version developed in this study, through the classical test theory and Mokken analysis with two different sample groups (teachers, N = 337; students, N = 355). The results of the Mokken analysis and the confirmatory factor analysis showed that the UCLA-10 and UCLA-5 were unidimensional and exhibited reliability and convergent validity. In contrast, the UCLA-8 was multidimensional and violated several assumptions of monotonicity and invariant item-ordering, although it showed satisfactory reliability and concurrent validity. All three versions of the scale correlated significantly with other indices of psychological well-being regarding concurrent validity, and the correlation coefficients were comparable to the coefficients of the 20-item version with the same variables. All three versions of the loneliness scale also demonstrated satisfactory convergent and discriminant validity. The results indicated that the UCLA-10 and UCLA-5 can be used as reliable and valid measures when the use of the long version of the UCLA Loneliness Scale is unsuitable.

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A systematic review of loneliness and social isolation scales used in epidemics and pandemics

Cited by 24 publications

References 21 publications

From Physical Distancing to Social Loneliness among Gay Men and Other Men Having Sex with Men in Belgium: Examining the Disruption of the Social Network and Social Support Structures

From Physical Distancing to Social Loneliness among Gay Men and Other Men Having Sex with Men in Belgium: Examining the Disruption of the Social Network and Social Support Structures

Actividades preventivas en el mayor. Actualización PAPPS 2022

Assessment of Loneliness During the Pandemic: Comparing Various Short Forms of the UCLA Loneliness Scale in South Africa Using Classical Test Theory and Mokken Analysis

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