OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the psychometric properties and applicability of the 6-item University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Loneliness Scale (ULS-6) in adults. METHODS: We conducted 2 surveys to assess the validity of different measurement scales and questionnaires. In Survey 1, a total of 1480 adults were measured using the UCLA Loneliness Scale (ULS), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and Perceived Social Support Scale (PSSS), and the data were used for item analysis and assessment of the reliability, validity and measurement invariance. In Survey 2, UCLA Loneliness Scale was used for measurement in 652 college students, and the data were used for analysis of the criterion validity of ULS-6; 3 weeks later, 300 of the students were retested using ULS-6 to assess the retest reliability of the scale. RESULTS: Item analysis suggested that the items in ULS-6 all had good discrimination power with discrimination indexes all above 0.775 (r=0.775-0.820, P < 0.001). Measuring only one dimension, ULS-6 had an internal consistency reliability of 0.891, a split-half reliability of 0.875, and a retest reliability of 0.726. The correlation coefficients of ULS-6 with ULS, ULS-8, PHQ-9 and PSSS were 0.882, 0.967, 0.528 and -0.532, respectively. The measurement invariances of ULS-6 across genders and age groups were all acceptable. Among the adult participants, the mean total score of ULS-6 was 12.97 ± 3.96; While only 20% of the adults had no loneliness, 80% of them exhibited varying degrees of loneliness, ranging from mild (39.6%) and moderate (25.7%) to intense (14.7%) feelings of loneliness. CONCLUSION The ULS-6 has good reliability, validity and applicability for measurement of loneliness in Chinese adults.
Adult ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Asian People ; Emotions ; Reproducibility of Results ; Students ; Loneliness

PURPOSE: As COVID-19 spreads globally and affects people's health, there are concerns that the pandemic and control policies may have psychological effects on young people (age from 17 to 35 years). This psychological impact might vary in different countries, and thus we compared the prevalence of self-reported psychological distress, loneliness and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) among young people in the United Kingdom (UK) and China at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: Data of this study came from two sources. One source was the first wave of COVID-19 study in Understanding Society, a special wave of the UK household longitudinal study, which provided the high-quality, national-wide representative panel data. The sample comprised 1054 young people. The other source was an online survey on the mental health of 1003 young people from Shanghai, a highly developed area in China. The questionnaire included questions on the prevalence of common mental disorders (cut-off score ≥ 4), loneliness and potential PTSS (cut-off ≥ 33). Univariable analyses were conducted to test the differences in the self-reported prevalence of psychological distress and loneliness between the two groups. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were run to explore the predictors of psychological distress and loneliness among all the young people from England and Shanghai. RESULTS: Among the samples with self-reported psychological distress, the UK sample accounted for 34.4% (n=1054) and the Chinese sample accounted for 14.1% (n=1003). The difference between the two groups was statistically significant (p < 0.001). Additionally, 57.1% of people in the UK and 46.7% in China reported that they sometimes or often felt lonely, of which the difference is statistically significant (p < 0.001). Regression analysis of the entire samples showed that nationality, gender, psychotherapy and loneliness were significant predictors of 12-item General Health Questionnaire scores, while the variables of age and living alone were not. Significant predictors of self-reported loneliness were the nationality, gender, age, living alone and psychotherapy. In China, 123 (12.3%) young people, 49 men (11.3%) and 74 women (13.0%), met the criteria of PTSS symptoms (cut-off scores ≥ 33). These scores were only collected in China. CONCLUSION This evidence suggests that mental health and loneliness reported by young people were lower in China than that in the UK during the studied period. More research is needed to understand these differences. If the differential negative psychological impacts are confirmed, country-specific measures of prevention and intervention should be adopted to improve the mental health of young people under the ongoing impact of the pandemic.
Adult ; COVID-19/epidemiology* ; China/epidemiology* ; Female ; Humans ; Loneliness/psychology* ; Male ; Mental Health ; Prevalence ; Psychological Distress ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic/epidemiology* ; United Kingdom/epidemiology* ; Young Adult

loneliness and resilience for the elderly who are mentally sound, financially stable and living in a single household setting.METHODS: A sample of 197 mentally healthy (Mini-Mental State Examination for Dementia Screening ≥−1.5 standard deviation and Geriatric Depression Scale <10) community-dwelling elderly 65 years of age or older was recruited. Multidimensional individual and interpersonal resilience measure, Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey, and University of California, Los Angeles Loneliness Scale were used followed by structured face to face interviews. Descriptive statistics, t-test, analysis of variance, Pearson correlation, and stepwise regression analysis were used for data analysis.RESULTS: The mean score of Resilience was 70.7 (±11.7)/111, social support was 60.2 (±21.4)/95, and Loneliness was 38.5(±11.9)/80. For the Resilience, there was a statistically significant correlation between loneliness (r=0.56, p<0.01) and social support (r=0.72, p<0.01). Hierarchical analysis shows that social support completely mediates the effect of resilience on loneliness. Stepwise regression analysis represents affection emotional support and positive social interaction have the highest descriptive power.CONCLUSION: In conclusion, social support fully mediates the impact of resilience on loneliness. The findings suggest developing social support intervention programs, especially which can give emotional support and positive social interaction, is effective and crucial to decrease loneliness for elderly who are living alone.]]>
Aged ; California ; Dementia ; Depression ; Family Characteristics ; Humans ; Interpersonal Relations ; Loneliness ; Mass Screening ; Statistics as Topic

BACKGROUND: Contributing to the innovative behavior of individuals in the health management process is a desirable condition for increased health institution performance. The relationship between the sense of loneliness and individual innovation behaviors has not been studied and relevant literature is extremely limited. The purpose of this research was to examine the effect of an individual's sense of loneliness on their innovative behavior. METHODS: The research was performed between January and October 2018. The effects of loneliness feelings on the individual innovative behaviors of 451 health science faculty students were measured. The data were collected using the "Individual Information Form," the "individual innovation scale," and the "University of California Los Angeles loneliness scale." The reliability and validity of the scales were tested with Structural Equation Modeling. RESULTS: It was found that the female participants showed exhibited more innovative behavior than the men. However, there was no significant difference in the loneliness status of participants by gender. A group of 23-year-old individuals showed a significant difference in the risk taking dimension compared to other age groups. First-grade students had more points in the experimental openness and opinion leadership sub-dimension than the other classes. It was observed that the behavior is molded as the education level increases. The regression models showed that loneliness has a negative effect of -0.254 on experiential openness and the leadership of ideas, and has a negative effect of -0.216 on risk taking. There was no effect of the sub-dimensions of loneliness on change resistance. Moreover, on the individualistic behavior of physical loneliness, a -0.267 negative effect was observed. Emotional loneliness has no effect on the sub-dimensions of individual innovation. Finally, the total sense of loneliness was found to have a negative effect on total individual innovation. CONCLUSIONS The study results clearly show that physical loneliness has a negative effect on individual innovation. It can be said that individuals living in social environments exhibit more innovative behaviors. However, emotional loneliness has no significant effect on innovative behavior. In this context, designing social spaces in health institutions will stimulate individuals' innovative behaviors.
Adolescent ; Faculty ; Female ; Humans ; Loneliness ; Male ; Regression Analysis ; Students ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Young Adult

BACKGROUND: Since the presence of a co-driver can be considered as a companion, partner, or friend for a driver through eliminating driver's loneliness, it plays a significant role in health and safety of drivers. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of co-drivers on depression and occupational stress on male truck drivers. METHODS: This study was an interventional case-control study. Seventy truck drivers were selected and divided into two groups: case (33 truck drivers with co-drivers) and control (37 truck drivers without co-drivers). Two Goldberg depression inventories (for evaluating driver's depression) and the Karasek job content questionnaire (for evaluating driver's job stress) were used to collect data which were completed by interview. RESULTS: The results showed that job content values for the case group were higher in all dimensions except job nature. The comparison of the percentages showed significant difference between two groups. Depression rate in drivers with co-driver is truly less than depression rate in drivers without co-driver. There was significant positive relationship between dimensions of job content and depression rate. CONCLUSION: According to the results of this study, it can be claimed that a co-driver decreases stress and loneliness of drivers, as well as increases work performance and job satisfaction, and, in turn, leads to a decrease in job-related depression.
Case-Control Studies ; Depression ; Equipment and Supplies ; Friends ; Humans ; Job Satisfaction ; Loneliness ; Male ; Motor Vehicles ; Work Performance

OBJECTIVE: Loneliness is a specific risk factor for depressive symptoms and suicidal behavior. The present study examined whether the serum oxytocin level would interact with social support and buffers loneliness and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA)-axis activity in drug-naïve patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). METHODS: Twenty-six patients with MDD (male:female = 3:23; mean age, 45.54 ± 12.97 years) were recruited. The 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, UCLA Loneliness Scale and self-reported Measurement of Support Function Questionnaire were administered. Serum oxytocin and cortisol levels were assessed using a commercial immunoassay kits. RESULTS: In MDD patients, a negative association was found between degrees of social support and loneliness (β = −0.39, p = 0.04). The interaction between social support and serum oxytocin level was negatively associated with loneliness (β = −0.50, p = 0.017) and serum cortisol level (β = −0.55, p = 0.020) after adjusting for age. Follow-up analyses showed that the association between higher social support and lower loneliness was observed only in the higher-oxytocin group (r = −0.75, p = 0.003) but not in the lower group (r = −0.19, p = 0.53). The significance remained after further adjusting for sex and depression severity. CONCLUSION: Low oxytocin level is a vulnerability factor for the buffering effect of social support for loneliness and aberrant HPA-axis activity in MDD patients.
Buffers ; Depression ; Depressive Disorder, Major ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Hydrocortisone ; Immunoassay ; Loneliness ; Oxytocin ; Risk Factors

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.
Adult ; Classification ; Factor Analysis, Statistical ; Family Relations ; Humans ; Loneliness ; Psychometrics ; Reproducibility of Results ; ROC Curve ; Sensitivity and Specificity

In early 2018, the National Action Plan for Preventing Suicide was announced by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and related ministries. The Action Plan presents a realistic goal of reducing suicide mortality to two-thirds of the present level, which would make it 1.4 times higher than the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development average (in contrast to current circumstances, in which it is 2.4 times higher than the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development average). Several public and private organizations are engaged in various suicide prevention activities. However, it is crucial for a seamless network to be formed, including government organizations, medical institutions, private organizations, and religious organizations. In medical settings, it is imperative that clinicians assess patients' risk of depression or suicide and arrange for a referral service. We need to connect modern social trends with classical mental health treatment modalities by using technologies such as smartphones and the internet. Strategies for research and development and for actual implementation must be established. Suicide prevention requires the active cooperation of not only mental health professionals, but also all physicians and health professionals. Experts in philosophy, sociology, economics, religion, and anthropology must also collaborate to find ways of affirming the importance of human life.
Anthropology ; Depression ; Health Occupations ; Humans ; Internet ; Loneliness ; Mental Health ; Mortality ; Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development ; Philosophy ; Referral and Consultation ; Smartphone ; Sociology ; Suicide

OBJECTIVES: This study examined the practices of a community meal program for older adults in rural areas during the agricultural off-season. METHODS: A survey was conducted from December 12 to December 22, 2016. Self-administered questionnaires were distributed to 150 cooking volunteers, who had participated in the community meal program in 50 villages. A total of 114 responses were returned from 44 villages and used for data analysis. In addition, in-depth interviews were conducted with the volunteers of eight villages. RESULTS: Most of the cooking volunteers were 50 years old or older and they participated in serving older adults meals for good will. The cooking volunteers perceived that the older adults in their community did not eat various foods, had difficulties in grocery shopping, and frequently consumed salty foods. During the agricultural off-season, 40.9% of villages served the older adults meals 6–7 days a week and 95.5% provided meals for lunch. An average of 21 to 40 older adults were served meals in each village. The cooking volunteers reported that the food preparation and meal service times were sufficient, recipes provided were useful, and menus met the preference of the older adults. At the end of the program, they felt proud of serving meals for older adults in the community. An increased awareness of healthy eating, interest in health, and consumption of nutritious meals, a decrease in loneliness among older adults, and the promotion of fellowship in the community were rated highly. The cooking volunteers expected additional support for cooking personnel and insisted that the program should be provided for the entire agricultural off-seasons. CONCLUSIONS: The community meal program during the agricultural off-season for the elderly in rural areas was effective in improving the dietary life of older adults, relieving their feelings of isolation, and promoting fellowship of the community. The volunteers felt workload due to a shortage of volunteers but answered that they were rewarded by helping older adults in their community.
Adult ; Aged ; Cooking ; Eating ; Fellowships and Scholarships ; Humans ; Loneliness ; Lunch ; Meals ; Reward ; Statistics as Topic ; Volunteers

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the preliminary effects of the Peer Relationship Enhancement Program in adolescents deemed to be in an at-risk group for Internet and smartphone addiction. METHODS: The study group consisted of 33 adolescent participants (24 boys and 9 girls) at risk of Internet and smartphone addiction in small and medium-sized cities. The subjects participated in 8 consecutive sessions of the Peer Relationship Enhancement Program. The Korean Internet Addiction Proneness Scale, the Korean Smartphone Addiction Proneness Scale, the Real-Ideal Self Discrepancy Scale, the UCLA Loneliness Scale, the Peer Intimacy Scale, and the Escaping from the Self Scale were evaluated before the initial and after the final session. A paired t-test was performed to statistically analyze the data. RESULTS: The Peer Relationship Enhancement Program led to a significant decrease (p < 0.05) in self-reported measures of The Korean Internet Addiction Proneness Scale, the Korean Smartphone Addiction Proneness Scale, and the Real-Ideal Self Discrepancy Scale. CONCLUSION: The Peer Relationship Enhancement Program reduces the risk of Internet and smartphone addiction and effectively prevents the associated problems.
Adolescent* ; Humans ; Internet* ; Loneliness ; Smartphone* ; United Nations