Examining Loneliness and Its Correlates in a Sample of People with Spinal Cord Injury

Abstract

<h3>Research Objectives</h3> To examine loneliness among individuals with SCI and explore its relation to demographic, disability, health-related, and social characteristics. <h3>Design</h3> Cross-sectional survey study. <h3>Setting</h3> Online survey with alternate formats offered. <h3>Participants</h3> A diverse national sample of 346 people with SCI. <h3>Interventions</h3> Not applicable. <h3>Main Outcome Measures</h3> We measured loneliness using the UCLA Loneliness Scale-v3. Measures of health included the SF-36 General Health Scale, the SCI Secondary Conditions Scale, and pain and pain interference items. Measures of social connections and social participation included the CHART Social Integration Scale, an 8-item MOS Social Support Scale, and the SCI-QoL Satisfaction with Participation Scale. <h3>Results</h3> Confirmatory factor analysis supported the bi-factor structure of the UCLA-v3 found in other populations. Loneliness scores in our sample were high (Mean=46.15, SD=13.87, range 20-79) with a majority of participants reporting that they "sometimes" or "often" feel alone, left out, isolated, lacking in companionship, that others are around them but not with them, and that their interests and ideas are not shared by those around them. Women reported greater loneliness than men, and loneliness was inversely related to time since injury. Loneliness was higher among those reporting poorer health, more severe secondary health conditions, and greater pain and pain interference. Social support and social participation were most strongly related to loneliness and accounted for the greatest variance in regression models. <h3>Conclusions</h3> The construct of loneliness appears similar to that in other populations based on a similar factor structure on the UCLA-v3. Our findings suggest that loneliness is a significant problem for people with SCI and underscores a pressing need for intervention development to address this issue in this at-risk population. <h3>Author(s) Disclosures</h3> None.