Measuring Loneliness Among Middle-Aged and Older Adults: The UCLA and de Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scales

Abstract

This study examined the measurement and invariance properties of the R-UCLA and de Jong Gierveld loneliness scales for research involving middle-aged and older adults. Confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) of data from interviews with adults aged 45–84 revealed limited support for the unidimensionality of either scale while subsequent analyses indicated the multidimensionality of both. However, method effects associated with positive and negative item wording were also evident. Multiple group CFAs provided limited support for assumptions of measurement invariance across age groups and from baseline to follow-up with regard to the R-UCLA scale. In contrast, strong measurement invariance across age groups and successive measurements was established for the bi-dimensional dJG scale. Overall, the findings supported the relative utility of the dJG scale for research involving middle-aged and older adults but suggested a need for attention to the implications of method effects associated with item wording and lack of measurement invariance with respect to item residuals.