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Validation of the ALONE Scale: A Clinical Measure of Loneliness
OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to examine the validity and reliability of a rapid, clinically administrable loneliness screening tool for older adults called the ALONE scale. DESIGN: This was a cross-sectional study. SETTING: Participants were recruited from either ambulatory clinics or a nursing home...
Autores principales: | , , , , |
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Formato: | Online Artículo Texto |
Lenguaje: | English |
Publicado: |
Springer Paris
2022
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Materias: | |
Acceso en línea: | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9098380/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/35587752 http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12603-022-1794-8 |
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author | Deol, Ekamjit Singh Yamashita, K. Elliott, S. Malmstorm, T. K. Morley, J. E. |
author_facet | Deol, Ekamjit Singh Yamashita, K. Elliott, S. Malmstorm, T. K. Morley, J. E. |
author_sort | Deol, Ekamjit Singh |
collection | PubMed |
description | OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to examine the validity and reliability of a rapid, clinically administrable loneliness screening tool for older adults called the ALONE scale. DESIGN: This was a cross-sectional study. SETTING: Participants were recruited from either ambulatory clinics or a nursing home. PARTICIPANTS: Participants were 65 years of age or older and had SLUMS scores of 14 or greater. MEASUREMENTS: Construct validity of the 5-item ALONE scale was examined through correlation with the previously validated UCLA-20 Loneliness Questionnaire. Divergent validity for discriminating between loneliness and depression was examined through correlation with the PHQ-8 items. Test-retest reliability was assessed by correlation between baseline ALONE scores and those from re-administration in 2–3 weeks. RESULTS: Among ambulatory clinic participants (n=199), the ALONE scale showed strong correlation with the UCLA-20 (r=0.81, p < 0.001). Similar correlation coefficients were seen among demographic subgroups: White Americans (n=123) (r=0.81, p < 0.001), Black Americans (n=66) (r=0.79, p < 0.001), adults ≥ 75 years (n=74) (r=0.86, p < 0.001). Among nursing home patients (n=22), the ALONE scale showed fair correlation with the UCLA-20 (r=0.74, p < 0.001). Test-retest of the ALONE scale showed a strong correlation (r=0.89, p < 0.001). ROC curve analysis determined ALONE scale scores of 8 and greater as optimal for severe loneliness screening. CONCLUSION: This study shows that the ALONE scale has strong validity in assessing older adults for severe loneliness. The brief, comprehensible nature of the ALONE scale reduces adoption burden making it optimal for use in clinical settings. |
format | Online Article Text |
id | pubmed-9098380 |
institution | National Center for Biotechnology Information |
language | English |
publishDate | 2022 |
publisher | Springer Paris |
record_format | MEDLINE/PubMed |
spelling | pubmed-90983802022-05-13 Validation of the ALONE Scale: A Clinical Measure of Loneliness Deol, Ekamjit Singh Yamashita, K. Elliott, S. Malmstorm, T. K. Morley, J. E. J Nutr Health Aging Brief Report OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to examine the validity and reliability of a rapid, clinically administrable loneliness screening tool for older adults called the ALONE scale. DESIGN: This was a cross-sectional study. SETTING: Participants were recruited from either ambulatory clinics or a nursing home. PARTICIPANTS: Participants were 65 years of age or older and had SLUMS scores of 14 or greater. MEASUREMENTS: Construct validity of the 5-item ALONE scale was examined through correlation with the previously validated UCLA-20 Loneliness Questionnaire. Divergent validity for discriminating between loneliness and depression was examined through correlation with the PHQ-8 items. Test-retest reliability was assessed by correlation between baseline ALONE scores and those from re-administration in 2–3 weeks. RESULTS: Among ambulatory clinic participants (n=199), the ALONE scale showed strong correlation with the UCLA-20 (r=0.81, p < 0.001). Similar correlation coefficients were seen among demographic subgroups: White Americans (n=123) (r=0.81, p < 0.001), Black Americans (n=66) (r=0.79, p < 0.001), adults ≥ 75 years (n=74) (r=0.86, p < 0.001). Among nursing home patients (n=22), the ALONE scale showed fair correlation with the UCLA-20 (r=0.74, p < 0.001). Test-retest of the ALONE scale showed a strong correlation (r=0.89, p < 0.001). ROC curve analysis determined ALONE scale scores of 8 and greater as optimal for severe loneliness screening. CONCLUSION: This study shows that the ALONE scale has strong validity in assessing older adults for severe loneliness. The brief, comprehensible nature of the ALONE scale reduces adoption burden making it optimal for use in clinical settings. Springer Paris 2022-05-12 2022 /pmc/articles/PMC9098380/ /pubmed/35587752 http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12603-022-1794-8 Text en © Serdi and Springer-Verlag International SAS, part of Springer Nature 2022 This article is made available via the PMC Open Access Subset for unrestricted research re-use and secondary analysis in any form or by any means with acknowledgement of the original source. These permissions are granted for the duration of the World Health Organization (WHO) declaration of COVID-19 as a global pandemic. |
spellingShingle | Brief Report Deol, Ekamjit Singh Yamashita, K. Elliott, S. Malmstorm, T. K. Morley, J. E. Validation of the ALONE Scale: A Clinical Measure of Loneliness |
title | Validation of the ALONE Scale: A Clinical Measure of Loneliness |
title_full | Validation of the ALONE Scale: A Clinical Measure of Loneliness |
title_fullStr | Validation of the ALONE Scale: A Clinical Measure of Loneliness |
title_full_unstemmed | Validation of the ALONE Scale: A Clinical Measure of Loneliness |
title_short | Validation of the ALONE Scale: A Clinical Measure of Loneliness |
title_sort | validation of the alone scale: a clinical measure of loneliness |
topic | Brief Report |
url | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9098380/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/35587752 http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12603-022-1794-8 |
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