Validation of the De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale, 6-item version, in a multiethnic population of Chilean older adults.

OBJECTIVE

To analyse the psychometric properties of the De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale, 6-item version (DJGLS-6), in a multiethnic sample of older Chilean adults.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was designed using a sample of 800 older people, and 71% were self-declared indigenous. Data quality and acceptability, internal consistency, and construct and structural validity of DJGLS-6 were analysed. The scale was also analysed according to the Rasch model.

RESULTS

The DJGLS-6 scored higher for the non-indigenous group than for Aymara and Mapuche (P < .001). KR-20 coefficients (internal consistency) for emotional loneliness subscale reached 0.44 for Aymara and Mapuche and 0.62 for non-indigenous, and from 0.73 (non-indigenous) to 0.86 (Aymara) for social loneliness subscale. The confirmatory factor analysis identified one dimension. None of the two subscales fit the Rasch model.

CONCLUSION

The results indicate that DJGLS-6 is a reliable and adequate scale for non-indigenous Chilean older people. However, it should be culturally adapted to indigenous ethnic minorities.