Development of the Korean Geriatric Loneliness Scale (KGLS)
10.4040/jkan.2019.49.5.643
- Author:
Si Eun LEE
1
Author Information
1. Department of Nursing, Baekseok Culture University, Cheonan, Korea. sieun@bscu.ac.kr
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
Aged;
Loneliness;
Factor Analysis, Statistical;
Reproducibility of Results
- MeSH:
Adult;
Classification;
Factor Analysis, Statistical;
Family Relations;
Humans;
Loneliness;
Psychometrics;
Reproducibility of Results;
ROC Curve;
Sensitivity and Specificity
- From:Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
2019;49(5):643-654
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:Korean
-
Abstract:
PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to develop and psychometrically test the Korean Geriatric Loneliness Scale (KGLS). METHODS: The initial items were based on in-depth interviews with 10 older adults. Psychometric testing was then conducted with 322 community-dwelling older adults aged 65 or older. Content, construct, and criterion-related validity, classification in cutoff point, internal consistency reliability, and test-retest reliability were used for the analysis. RESULTS: Exploratory factor analysis showed three factors, including 15 items explaining 91.6% of the total variance. The three distinct factors were loneliness associated with family relationships (34.3%), social loneliness (32.4%), and a lack of belonging (24.9%). As a result of confirmatory factor analysis, 14 items in the three-factor structure were validated. Receiver operating characteristic analysis demonstrated that the KGLS' cutoff point of 32 was associated with a sensitivity of 71.0%, specificity of 80.2%, and area under the curve of .83. Reliability, as verified by the test-retest intraclass correlation coefficient, was .89, and Cronbach's α was .90. CONCLUSION: As its validity and reliability have been verified through various methods, the KGLS can contribute to assessing loneliness in South Korean older adults.
