Totally All Alone with My Thoughts: Development, Psychometric Properties and Correlates of the Loneliness Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire

Abstract

The current article introduces the Loneliness Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire (LATQ) and describes research evaluating its psychometric properties and correlates. Methods: Two separate samples of university student participants (Study 1; N = 282, Study 2; N = 289) were administered the LATQ along with a battery of other measures. Whereas Study 1 involved a preliminary investigation of the psychometric properties of the LATQ, Study 2 provided an opportunity to further expand on this aim by assessing the concurrent validity of the measure across studies. Results: Overall, psychometric analyses confirmed that the LATQ items are measured with an adequate degree of internal consistency and confirmatory factor analyses established that the nine items loaded significantly on one replicable factor. Concurrent validity was established in terms of links with other loneliness measures and a measure of persistent and intrusive negative thoughts. Furthermore, LATQ scores were associated with anti-mattering, social hopelessness, anxiety, depression, and unbearable psychache. Moreover, regression analyses established that the LATQ predicted significant unique variance in depression and psychache beyond the variance attributable to measures of loneliness and adaptability to loneliness. Discussion: Collectively, results indicate that loneliness-related automatic thoughts represent a unique and important element of the loneliness construct. Future research applications and additional psychometric issues to address in future research are discussed and a need for a greater focus on the cognitive aspects of loneliness is explored.