Previous research has shown that exchanges of support within social networks reduce the loneliness of older adults. However, there is no consistent evidence on how types of support (instrumental and emotional) and the direction of that support (giving and receiving) are related to loneliness, and whether the effects are culture-specific.

Background: Loneliness has been associated with physical and mental health problems. It has also been considered a serious social problem that increases the use and costs of health services. The most widely used instrument in Europe for measuring loneliness is the de Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale (DJGLS). The aim of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the 11-item DJGLS by means of the Rasch model, and its convergent and discriminant validity. Methods: Participants were a representative sample of Spanish community-dwelling adults aged 60 and older. We evaluated sociodemographic variables, health, social support, social activity, and subjective well-being measures. Results: Person and item fit statistics, and standardized residual principal component analysis revealed that the DJGLS was essentially unidimensional. However, we found DIF across marital status and living arrangements. Moderate to high associations were found between loneliness and depression, self-rated loneliness, positive and negative emotions, and satisfaction with life. The DJGLS differentiated between well known-groups according to gender, marital status, living arrangements, health, structural and functional aspects of social networks, and social activity. Conclusions: The DJGLS is a valid and reliable instrument for measuring loneliness in Spanish older adults. The addition of a few items in order to improve the measurement range is strongly recommended. Our findings are consistent with previous research indicating that loneliness is an important aspect of mental health and subjective well-being, and support the use of the scale to detect vulnerable population in old age.

Developmental theories suggest age-related changes in the structure of affect. Paradoxically, the internal structure of the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS; Watson, Clark, & Tellegen, 1988) has not been tested in Spanish older adults by means of confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) despite it is the most widely used measure of emotional well-being in later life. The aim of this study was to examine competing models of the internal structure of the Spanish version of the PANAS, its measurement invariance, reliability, and external validity. Participants were a representative sample of 585 community-dwelling people aged 60 and over, who also completed depression, loneliness and life satisfaction measures. Results showed that the orthogonal two-factor model with correlated errors (RMSEA = .057, 90% CI [.051, .063], SRMR = .084, CFI = .97, NNFI = .97) was the best fitting solution. Measurement invariance analyses confirmed that the two-independent factor structure can be used across young-old and very old people, as well as in both males and females. It showed good reliability (PA: α = .93, NA: α = .83), criterion, convergent and discriminant validity (p < .01). Our discussion highlights the role of age and culture in the experience and expression of emotions.

ObjectivesTo (1) create a single metric of disability using Rasch modelling to be used for comparing disability severity levels across groups and countries, (2) test whether the interval-level measures were invariant across countries, sociodemographic and health variables and (3) examine the gains in precision using interval-level measures relative to ordinal scores when discriminating between groups known to differ in disability.DesignCross-sectional, population-based study.Setting/participantsData were drawn from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), including comparable data across 16 countries and involving 58 489 community-dwelling adults aged 50+.Main outcome measuresA single metric of disability composed of self-care and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) and functional limitations. We examined the construct validity through the fit to the Rasch model and the know-groups method. Reliability was examined using person separation reliability.ResultsThe single metric fulfilled the requirements of a strong hierarchical scale; was able to separate persons with different levels of disability; demonstrated invariance of the item hierarchy across countries; and was unbiased by age, gender and different health conditions. However, we found a blurred hierarchy of ADL and IADL tasks. Rasch-based measures yielded gains in relative precision (11–116%) in discriminating between groups with different medical conditions.ConclusionsEqual-interval measures, with person-invariance and item-invariance properties, provide epidemiologists and researchers with the opportunity to gain better insight into the hierarchical structure of functional disability, and yield more reliable and accurate estimates of disability across groups and countries. Interval-level measures of disability allow parametric statistical analysis to confidently examine the relationship between disability and continuous measures so frequent in health sciences (eg, cholesterol, blood pressure, C reactive protein).

We examined whether the social convoy model and socioemotional selectivity theory apply in collectivistic cultures by examining the contextual factors which are hypothesized to mediate age-related differences in social support in a collectivist European country. Five hundred Spanish community-dwelling older adults (Mean age = 74.78, SD = 7.76, range = 60-93) were interviewed to examine structural aspects of their social networks. We found that age showed highly complex relationships with network size and frequency of interaction, depending on the network circle and the mediation of cultural factors. Family structure was important for social relations in the inner circle, while pubs and churches were important for peripheral relations. Surprisingly, pub attendance was the most important variable for maintenance of social support of peripheral network members. In general, the results support the applicability of the social convoy and socioemotional selectivity constructs to social support among Spanish older adults.

Gierveld. Participaron 614 personas (60-96 años) no institucionalizadas. También se midieron los afectos (PANAS) y la satisfacción con la vida. Los valores del ajuste al modelo y la precisión de las medidas de los ítems fueron elevados (0.99). La fiabilidad de las puntuaciones de las personas (0.69) y los ítems (0.77) fue baja. Los análisis factoriales confirmaron una estructura unidimensional. Algunos ítems mostraron un funcionamiento diferencial (FDI) asociado al sexo y a la forma de vida. Las garantías sobre la validez convergente/discriminante fueron moderadas. Los resultados deberían ser tomados en consideración para una revisión del instrumento.

Título: Estructura factorial de la escala de soledad de de Jong Gierveld en personas mayores españolas. Resumen: La soledad es un importante componente en la medición del bienestar subjetivo de las personas mayores. El instrumento más influyente en Europa es la escala de soledad de 11 ítems de De Jong Gierveld (DJGLS; de Jong Gierveld y Kamphuis, 1985). El objetivo de esta investigación era examinar la estructura interna de la versión española de la DJGLS. La muestra estaba compuesta por 328 personas mayores (M = 75.53, Rango = 60-99 años) no institucionalizadas. Los análisis factoriales mostraron que la escala era esencialmente unidimensional (RMR = .088, AGFI = .97). La fiabilidad fue de .91. No se encontraron razones sustantivas ni estadísticas para considerar la existencia de un segundo factor. Nuestros resultados revelaron algunos problemas de los ítems para medir los aspectos sociales y emocionales de la soledad como factores distintos. Se resalta la necesidad de mejorar la escala y de tener en cuenta las diferencias entre las culturas colectivistas e individualistas en el uso de los instrumentos que miden el bienestar. Palabras clave: Soledad; personas mayores; validez; análisis factorial; colectivismo-individualismo. Abstract:Loneliness is an important component in the measurement of subjective well-being of elderly adults. The most influential instrument in Europe is the 11-item de Jong Gierveld loneliness scale (DJGLS; de Jong Gierveld and Kamphuis, 1985). The aim of this study was to examine, throughout factorial techniques, the internal structure the Spanish version of the DJGLS. Data were gathered from 328 community-dwelling elderly adults (M = 75.53, Range: 60-99 years). The factor analysis techniques revealed that the scale was essentially unidimensional (RMR = .088, AGFI = .970, NFI = .966). Reliability was .91. Neither substantive nor statistical reasons were found to consider the existence of a second factor. Our findings also revealed some psychometric problems in the measurement of the social and emotional aspects of loneliness. Emphasis is placed on the need to improve the scale and bear in mind the differences between collectivist and individualist cultures in the use of scales measuring well-being.

Objective: The mindfulness and self-compassion (MSC) protocol has shown efficacy in reducing mental illness symptoms and increasing well-being. However, little is known on how the positive outcomes are produced. This study explores how reductions in experiential avoidance following MSC training may explain changes in the participants' levels of anxiety, depression, and well-being. Methods: The 8-week protocol-based MSC training was delivered to 50 participants, and pre-to post-intervention changes in anxiety, depression, and well-being were measured. A series of mediation models were conducted, with changes in self-compassion as predictor, changes in experiential avoidance as mediator, and changes in mental health and well-being as outcome variables. Point estimates and bootstrap-corrected 95% confidence intervals were calculated to analyse indirect effects through experiential avoidance, by means of structural equation modeling (SEM). Results: Following MSC training, participants increased their levels of self-compassion, reduced experiential avoidance, and enhanced mental health (i.e., anxiety and depression symptoms) and well-being scores. Increases in self-compassion were associated with decreases in experiential avoidance, which in turn were connected with changes in anxiety, depression, and well-being from pre-to posttraining. The indirect path through changes in experiential How to cite this article: