Psychometric properties and factor structure of the University of California Los Angeles Loneliness Scale version 3: the European Portuguese version

Abstract

Loneliness refers to the perception of mismatch between the perceived and desired quantity and quality of meaningful relationships. Currently, the golden standard measure to assess loneliness is the University of Los Angeles Loneliness scale version 3 (UCLA v3). The aim of this study was to analyze the psychometric properties and the factor structure of UCLA v3 for the European Portuguese population. A sample of 282 participants was surveyed in Portugal. Analyses showed internal consistency was optimal for the Portuguese population: Cronbach’s α = .91 and McDonald’s ω = .91. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) supported a single global factor for loneliness and optimal fitness. Multi-group CFA indicates invariance across sex. Floor and ceiling effects were largely absent. Loneliness correlated with well-established mental health indicators such as psychological stress, depressive and anxiety symptomatology or psychological inflexibility. The findings support UCLA v3 as a reliable and valid measure of loneliness in the Portuguese population.

Assessing the cognitive component of subjective well-being: Revisiting the satisfaction with life scale with classical test theory and item response theory

“…In more recent studies, the UCLA-LS has consistently demonstrated satisfactory reliability (e.g. Arimoto & Tadaka, 2019;Zeas-Sigüenza, Oliveira, Ferreira, Ganho, & Ruisoto, 2021). The UCLA-LS has also demonstrated acceptable reliability in South Africa (Padmanabhanunni & Pretorius, 2021c;Pretorius, 1993).…”