Gutenberg Open Science: Screening for loneliness in representative population samples : validation of a single-item measure

Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://doi.org/10.25358/openscience-9387

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DC Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Reinwarth, Anna Celine	-
dc.contributor.author	Ernst, Mareike	-
dc.contributor.author	Krakau, Lina	-
dc.contributor.author	Brähler, Elmar	-
dc.contributor.author	Beutel, Manfred E.	-
dc.date.accessioned	2023-08-17T08:33:08Z	-
dc.date.available	2023-08-17T08:33:08Z	-
dc.date.issued	2023	-
dc.identifier.uri	https://openscience.ub.uni-mainz.de/handle/20.500.12030/9405	-
dc.description.abstract	Background Loneliness is a highly relevant public mental health issue. This work presents the validation of a single-item measure of loneliness and its subjective experience: “I am frequently alone/have few contacts”. It can be used in large-scale population surveys where an economical assessment is of key importance. Methods Data was drawn from two representative German population surveys conducted in early and late 2020 (combined N = 4,984; 52.9% women; age: M = 48.39 years (SD = 17.88)). We determined the prevalence of loneliness in men and women across different age groups. In order to test concurrent validity, bivariate correlation analyses and Chi-square tests were performed. Convergent and discriminant validity were tested by investigating intercorrelations of the single-item measure of loneliness with another loneliness measure, other mental health outcomes, and associations with sociodemographic characteristics. Results Based on the single-item measure, 23.4% of participants reported some degree of loneliness, 3.4% among them severe loneliness. Comparisons with the LS-S showed similar prevalence rates of loneliness. A moderately positive relationship between the two loneliness measures was found by bivariate correlation analysis (ρ = .57, p < .001), but results indicated only weak convergent validity. Construct validity was supported by associations with depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, satisfaction with life, household size, and partnership. Conclusions Loneliness is frequently reported in the general population. The single-item measure of loneliness is suitable as a brief screening measure in population-based assessments.	en_GB
dc.description.sponsorship	Gefördert durch die Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Projektnummer 491381577	de
dc.language.iso	eng	de
dc.rights	CC BY	*
dc.rights.uri	https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/	*
dc.subject.ddc	610 Medizin	de_DE
dc.subject.ddc	610 Medical sciences	en_GB
dc.title	Screening for loneliness in representative population samples : validation of a single-item measure	en_GB
dc.type	Zeitschriftenaufsatz	de
dc.identifier.doi	http://doi.org/10.25358/openscience-9387	-
jgu.type.contenttype	Scientific article	de
jgu.type.dinitype	article	en_GB
jgu.type.version	Published version	de
jgu.type.resource	Text	de
jgu.organisation.department	FB 04 Medizin	de
jgu.organisation.number	2700	-
jgu.organisation.name	Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz	-
jgu.rights.accessrights	openAccess	-
jgu.journal.title	PLOS ONE	de
jgu.journal.volume	18	de
jgu.journal.issue	3	de
jgu.pages.alternative	e0279701	de
jgu.publisher.year	2023	-
jgu.publisher.name	PLOS	de
jgu.publisher.place	San Francisco, California, US	de
jgu.publisher.issn	1932-6203	de
jgu.organisation.place	Mainz	-
jgu.subject.ddccode	610	de
jgu.publisher.doi	10.1371/journal.pone.0279701	de
jgu.organisation.ror	https://ror.org/023b0x485	-
jgu.subject.dfg	Geistes- und Sozialwissenschaften	de
Appears in collections:	DFG-491381577-G

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