Zhong Qing, Jiang Yuxing, Conwell Yeates, Chen Shulin
Department of Psychological and Behavioral Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
Department of Psychiatry, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York, USA.
Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2024 Dec;39(12):e70017. doi: 10.1002/gps.70017.
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.
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.
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.
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.
老年人的孤独感是一种主观体验，也是老龄化社会中的一个公共卫生问题。在不同文化群体中制定精准靶向干预措施需要心理测量学上合理且具有文化敏感性的测量方法。本研究对中国老年人进行了简短版加州大学洛杉矶分校孤独量表（ULS - 8）测试。
对一组中国老年人样本进行了验证性因素分析、内部一致性分析以及与孤独感单一问题的相关性分析。Rasch分析评估了ULS - 8对中国老年人的单维度性、反应类别功能、项目难度和针对性。
分析了347名中国老年人（平均年龄71.36 ± 9.51岁）的数据；74.64%的参与者为女性。在经典测试理论中，ULS - 8显示出可接受的内部一致性和效标效度。验证性因素分析和Rasch分析表明，ULS - 8未呈现单维度结构。此外，Rasch分析显示：（1）第3项存在不匹配，表明结构效度存在问题；（2）需要合并反应类别；（3）中国老年人在使用ULS - 8时不太可能认可高水平的孤独感。
为确定孤独感测量方法的充分性，通过Rasch分析为中国老年人定制一个新的简短版孤独感量表至关重要。
