Psychometric Evaluation of Three Versions of the UCLA Loneliness Scale (Full, Eight-Item, and Three-Item Versions) among Sexual Minority Men in Taiwan

doi:10.3390/ijerph19138095

. 2022 Jul 1;19(13):8095.

doi: 10.3390/ijerph19138095.

Psychometric Evaluation of Three Versions of the UCLA Loneliness Scale (Full, Eight-Item, and Three-Item Versions) among Sexual Minority Men in Taiwan

Chung-Ying Lin^{1

2

3

4}, Ching-Shu Tsai^{5

6}, Chia-Wei Fan⁷, Mark D Griffiths⁸, Chih-Cheng Chang^{9

10}, Cheng-Fang Yen^{11

12

13}, Amir H Pakpour¹⁴

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Allied Health Sciences, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70101, Taiwan.
² Biostatistics Consulting Center, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70101, Taiwan.
³ Department of Public Health, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70101, Taiwan.
⁴ Department of Occupational Therapy, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70101, Taiwan.
⁵ Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical Center, Kaohsiung 83301, Taiwan.
⁶ School of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 33302, Taiwan.
⁷ Department of Occupational Therapy, AdventHealth University, Orlando, FL 32803, USA.
⁸ International Gaming Research Unit, Psychology Department, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham NG1 4FQ, UK.
⁹ Department of Psychiatry, Chi Mei Medical Center, Tainan 70246, Taiwan.
¹⁰ Department of Health Psychology, Chang Jung Christian University, Tainan 71101, Taiwan.
¹¹ Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan.
¹² Department of Psychiatry, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung 80756, Taiwan.
¹³ College of Professional Studies, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung 91201, Taiwan.
¹⁴ Department of Nursing, School of Health and Welfare, Jönköping University, SE-551 11 Jönköping, Sweden.

PMID: 35805754
PMCID: PMC9265606
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19138095

Psychometric Evaluation of Three Versions of the UCLA Loneliness Scale (Full, Eight-Item, and Three-Item Versions) among Sexual Minority Men in Taiwan

Chung-Ying Lin et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022.

. 2022 Jul 1;19(13):8095.

doi: 10.3390/ijerph19138095.

Authors

Chung-Ying Lin^{1

2

3

4}, Ching-Shu Tsai^{5

6}, Chia-Wei Fan⁷, Mark D Griffiths⁸, Chih-Cheng Chang^{9

10}, Cheng-Fang Yen^{11

12

13}, Amir H Pakpour¹⁴

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Allied Health Sciences, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70101, Taiwan.
² Biostatistics Consulting Center, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70101, Taiwan.
³ Department of Public Health, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70101, Taiwan.
⁴ Department of Occupational Therapy, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70101, Taiwan.
⁵ Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical Center, Kaohsiung 83301, Taiwan.
⁶ School of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 33302, Taiwan.
⁷ Department of Occupational Therapy, AdventHealth University, Orlando, FL 32803, USA.
⁸ International Gaming Research Unit, Psychology Department, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham NG1 4FQ, UK.
⁹ Department of Psychiatry, Chi Mei Medical Center, Tainan 70246, Taiwan.
¹⁰ Department of Health Psychology, Chang Jung Christian University, Tainan 71101, Taiwan.
¹¹ Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan.
¹² Department of Psychiatry, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung 80756, Taiwan.
¹³ College of Professional Studies, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung 91201, Taiwan.
¹⁴ Department of Nursing, School of Health and Welfare, Jönköping University, SE-551 11 Jönköping, Sweden.

PMID: 35805754
PMCID: PMC9265606
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19138095

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.

Keywords: UCLA Loneliness Scale; bisexual; gay; homosexual; loneliness; psychological well-being; psychometric properties.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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References

1. de Jong Gierveld J., van Tilburg J., Dykstra P.A. Loneliness and social isolation. In: Vangelisti A., Perlman D., editors. The Cambridge Handbook of Personal Relationships. Cambridge University Press; Cambridge, UK: 2006. pp. 485–500.
1. Doyle D.M., Molix L. Disparities in social health by sexual orientation and the etiologic role of self-reported discrimination. Arch. Sex. Behav. 2016;45:1317–1327. doi: 10.1007/s10508-015-0639-5. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
1. Elmer E.M., van Tilburg T., Fokkema T. Minority stress and loneliness in a global sample of sexual minority adults: The roles of social anxiety, social inhibition, and community involvement. Arch. Sex. Behav. 2022, in press. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
1. Eres R., Postolovski N., Thielking M., Lim M.H. Loneliness, mental health, and social health indicators in LGBTQIA+ Australians. Am. J. Orthopsychiatry. 2021;91:358–366. doi: 10.1037/ort0000531. - DOI - PubMed
1. Hsieh N., Liu H. Social relationships and loneliness in late adulthood: Disparities by sexual orientation. J. Marriage Fam. 2021;83:57–74. doi: 10.1111/jomf.12681. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

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This study was supported by a research grant from the Chi Mei Medical Center and the Kaohsiung Medical University Research Foundation (110CM-KMU-05).

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[1] de Jong Gierveld J., van Tilburg J., Dykstra P.A. Loneliness and social isolation. In: Vangelisti A., Perlman D., editors. The Cambridge Handbook of Personal Relationships. Cambridge University Press; Cambridge, UK: 2006. pp. 485–500.

[2] de Jong Gierveld J., van Tilburg J., Dykstra P.A. Loneliness and social isolation. In: Vangelisti A., Perlman D., editors. The Cambridge Handbook of Personal Relationships. Cambridge University Press; Cambridge, UK: 2006. pp. 485–500.

[3] Doyle D.M., Molix L. Disparities in social health by sexual orientation and the etiologic role of self-reported discrimination. Arch. Sex. Behav. 2016;45:1317–1327. doi: 10.1007/s10508-015-0639-5. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[4] Doyle D.M., Molix L. Disparities in social health by sexual orientation and the etiologic role of self-reported discrimination. Arch. Sex. Behav. 2016;45:1317–1327. doi: 10.1007/s10508-015-0639-5. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[5] Elmer E.M., van Tilburg T., Fokkema T. Minority stress and loneliness in a global sample of sexual minority adults: The roles of social anxiety, social inhibition, and community involvement. Arch. Sex. Behav. 2022, in press. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[6] Elmer E.M., van Tilburg T., Fokkema T. Minority stress and loneliness in a global sample of sexual minority adults: The roles of social anxiety, social inhibition, and community involvement. Arch. Sex. Behav. 2022, in press. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[7] Eres R., Postolovski N., Thielking M., Lim M.H. Loneliness, mental health, and social health indicators in LGBTQIA+ Australians. Am. J. Orthopsychiatry. 2021;91:358–366. doi: 10.1037/ort0000531. - DOI - PubMed

[8] Eres R., Postolovski N., Thielking M., Lim M.H. Loneliness, mental health, and social health indicators in LGBTQIA+ Australians. Am. J. Orthopsychiatry. 2021;91:358–366. doi: 10.1037/ort0000531. - DOI - PubMed

[9] Hsieh N., Liu H. Social relationships and loneliness in late adulthood: Disparities by sexual orientation. J. Marriage Fam. 2021;83:57–74. doi: 10.1111/jomf.12681. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[10] Hsieh N., Liu H. Social relationships and loneliness in late adulthood: Disparities by sexual orientation. J. Marriage Fam. 2021;83:57–74. doi: 10.1111/jomf.12681. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

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Psychometric Evaluation of Three Versions of the UCLA Loneliness Scale (Full, Eight-Item, and Three-Item Versions) among Sexual Minority Men in Taiwan

Affiliations

Psychometric Evaluation of Three Versions of the UCLA Loneliness Scale (Full, Eight-Item, and Three-Item Versions) among Sexual Minority Men in Taiwan

Authors

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Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

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Abstract

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