Psychometric evaluation of three versions of the UCLA Loneliness Scale (full, eight-item, and three-item versions) among sexual minority men in Taiwan

Lin, C.-Y., Tsai, C.-S., Fan, C.-W., Griffiths, M.D. ORCID: 0000-0001-8880-6524, Chang, C.-C., Yen, C.-F. and Pakpour, A.H., 2022. Psychometric evaluation of three versions of the UCLA Loneliness Scale (full, eight-item, and three-item versions) among sexual minority men in Taiwan. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19 (13): 8095. ISSN 1661-7827

[img]
Preview
Text
1562714_Griffiths.pdf - Published version

Download (400kB) | Preview

Abstract

The UCLA Loneliness Scale, with different short versions, is widely used to assess levels of loneliness. However, whether the scale is valid in assessing loneliness among sexual-minority men is unknown. Additionally, it is unclear whether the 8-item and 3-item short versions are comparable to the full 20-item version. The present study compared the validity of the three versions of the UCLA Loneliness Scale (i.e., 20-item, 8-item, and 3-item versions) among gay and bisexual men in Taiwan. The participants comprised 400 gay and bisexual men in Taiwan who completed a cross-sectional online survey, which included the UCLA Loneliness Scale, Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) and State–Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Confirmatory factor analysis was used to evaluate factorial validity. Convergent validity was examined between the three versions of the UCLA Loneliness Scale and the CES-D and STAI. Known-group validity was investigated with participants’ sexual orientation and educational levels. The unidimensional construct was supported in all three versions of the UCLA Loneliness Scale tested in the present study. Convergent validity was supported as the level of loneliness was correlated with the level of depression and anxiety for all three versions. There were no significant differences between gay and bisexual men, although significant differences were found across different educational levels. The study confirmed that all three versions of the UCLA Loneliness Scale were comparable with satisfactory reliability and validity in Taiwanese sexual-minority men.

Item Type: Journal article
Publication Title: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Creators: Lin, C.-Y., Tsai, C.-S., Fan, C.-W., Griffiths, M.D., Chang, C.-C., Yen, C.-F. and Pakpour, A.H.
Publisher: MDPI
Date: 1 July 2022
Volume: 19
Number: 13
ISSN: 1661-7827
Identifiers:
NumberType
10.3390/ijerph19138095DOI
1562714Other
Rights: © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Divisions: Schools > School of Social Sciences
Record created by: Laura Ward
Date Added: 01 Jul 2022 14:39
Last Modified: 01 Jul 2022 14:39
Related URLs:
URI: https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/46542

Actions (login required)

Edit View Edit View

Views

Views per month over past year

Downloads

Downloads per month over past year