Table 3 Measurement or instruments used to assess loneliness in eight (quantitative) studies
Loneliness instrument | Loneliness measure | Number of studies | Question or item wording |
|---|---|---|---|
UCLA-LS | Short-form UCLA-LS 3-Item Scale [53] | 1. How often do you feel that you lack companionship? 2. How often do you feel left out? 3. How often do you feel isolated from others? | |
Original UCLA-LS 20-Item Scale [55] | One study [31] | Originally released in 1978 as a 20-Item scale | |
Short-form UCLA-LS 8-Item Scale Chinese Version [56] | One study [36] | This Chinese version contains 8 items, including 2 positively worded items (Item 3: “I am an outgoing person,” and Item 6: “I can find companionship when I want it”), which are reverse scored | |
UCLA-LS 3-Item plus single-item | Short-form UCLA-LS 3-Item Scale [53] Single item from Office for National Statistics [57] | One study [10] | 1.How often do you feel that you lack companionship? 2. How often do you feel left out? 3. How often do you feel isolated from others? Single item How often do you feel lonely? |
Single item only | Office for National Statistics [57] | One study [9] | Single item How often do you feel lonely? |
Social Functioning Questionnaire [58] | One study [42] | Single item I feel lonely and isolated from other people |