Can the Short-Form UCLA Loneliness Scale Be Used to Measure Loneliness Among Chinese Older Adults? From Classical Test Theory to Rasch Analysis

IF 3.6 3区医学 Q2 GERIATRICS & GERONTOLOGY

International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry Pub Date : 2024-12-08 DOI:10.1002/gps.70017

Qing Zhong, Yuxing Jiang, Yeates Conwell, Shulin Chen

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background

Loneliness among older adults, is a subjective experience and a public health issue in aging societies. Psychometrically sound and culturally sensitive measures are needed for developing precisely targeted interventions in culturally distinct groups. This study tested the Short-Form UCLA Loneliness Scale (ULS-8) among Chinese older adults.

Method

Confirmatory factor analysis, internal consistency, and the correlation with the single question of loneliness were conducted with a sample of Chinese older adults. Rasch analyses assessed the unidimensionality, response category functioning, item difficulty, and targeting of the ULS-8 for older Chinese adults.

Results

Data from 347 Chinese older adults (mean age 71.36 ± 9.51 years) were analyzed; 74.64% of the participants were female. The ULS-8 showed acceptable internal consistency and criterion validity in Classical Test Theory. Confirmatory factor analysis and Rasch analysis indicated that the ULS-8 did not demonstrate a unidimensional structure. Additionally, Rasch analysis revealed (1) a misfit in item 3, indicating a problem with construct validity; (2) the need to combine response categories; and (3) that Chinese older adults are less likely to endorse a high level of loneliness when using the ULS-8.

Conclusions

To ascertain the adequacy of the loneliness measure, it is crucial to customize a new short version of the loneliness scale for Chinese older adults through Rasch analysis.

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背景：老年人的孤独感是一种主观感受，也是老龄化社会的一个公共健康问题。要针对不同文化背景的群体制定有针对性的干预措施，就需要采用心理计量学上可靠且文化敏感的测量方法。本研究在中国老年人中测试了 UCLA 孤独感短式量表（ULS-8）：方法：对中国老年人样本进行了确认性因素分析、内部一致性分析以及与孤独感单项问题的相关性分析。Rasch分析评估了ULS-8的单维性、反应类别功能、项目难度以及对中国老年人的针对性：分析了 347 名中国老年人（平均年龄为 71.36 ± 9.51 岁）的数据，其中 74.64% 为女性。在经典测验理论中，ULS-8显示了可接受的内部一致性和标准效度。确认性因素分析和 Rasch 分析表明，ULS-8 并未显示出单维结构。此外，Rasch 分析还显示：（1）第 3 项存在不吻合，表明建构效度存在问题；（2）需要合并回答类别；（3）使用 ULS-8 时，中国老年人不太可能认可高度孤独感：结论：为了确定孤独感量表的适当性，通过 Rasch 分析为中国老年人定制新的孤独感简易量表至关重要。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry 医学-精神病学

CiteScore

6.10

自引率

2.50%

发文量

168

审稿时长

4-8 weeks

期刊介绍： The rapidly increasing world population of aged people has led to a growing need to focus attention on the problems of mental disorder in late life. The aim of the Journal is to communicate the results of original research in the causes, treatment and care of all forms of mental disorder which affect the elderly. The Journal is of interest to psychiatrists, psychologists, social scientists, nurses and others engaged in therapeutic professions, together with general neurobiological researchers. The Journal provides an international perspective on the important issue of geriatric psychiatry, and contributions are published from countries throughout the world. Topics covered include epidemiology of mental disorders in old age, clinical aetiological research, post-mortem pathological and neurochemical studies, treatment trials and evaluation of geriatric psychiatry services.