A Systematic Review of the Development and Psychometric Properties of Loneliness Measures for Children and Adolescents

Abstract

This paper reviews the three most commonly used measures of loneliness for children and adolescents (children: Loneliness and Aloneness Scale for Children and Adolescents [LACA] and Children’s Loneliness and Social Dissatisfaction Scale [CLS]; adolescents: UCLA Loneliness Scale [UCLA] and LACA). Loneliness is a pertinent issue across populations and affects the mental health and academic achievement of children and adolescents. To date, there has been no thorough examination of the loneliness measures for this age group. We examine how each of the three measures was developed, and assess the psychometric properties of those measures, gaining insight into whether they are valid and reliable assessments of loneliness. Results suggest that the UCLA Loneliness Scale is the most popular measure of loneliness for use with adolescents, but it does not have robust psychometric properties for that group. For children, the CLS appears most suitable. Results of the review identify gaps in aspects of measure development, with no measure having been developed with children or adolescents. Implications for future loneliness measurement research are considered.

Cyberbullying Involvement, Resilient Coping, and Loneliness of Adolescents During Covid-19 in Rural China

“…Some specific groups, such as the young adults, the elderly, women, people living alone, people with personal constraints related to social skills, people with low income, and residents in the urban environment, are at risk of loneliness (de Jong Gierveld, 1998;Beutel et al, 2017;Bu et al, 2020). Some recent studies have indicated that the experience of being victimized is associated with loneliness among the youth (Cole et al, 2021), and moreover, the victimization experience in childhood can lead to loneliness during childhood and even early adulthood (Matthews et al, 2020). Regarding cyberbullying in specific, only one study from Spain has reported positive correlations between cybervictimization, loneliness, and poor school adjustment (Cañas et al, 2020).…”

Tell Me about Loneliness: Interviews with Young People about What Loneliness Is and How to Cope with It

“…Items could be included such as "I have friends (a) at school, (b) outside of school, (c) online" to ensure that young people consider different contexts when they complete measures. The UCLA [43] is one of the most widely used measures for loneliness, often being used in research with adolescents, and includes items recommended by the ONS for use with children [2]. Currently, the UCLA [43] includes items about social relationships more broadly, "people are around me but not with me", "I have nobody to talk to", "no one really knows me well".…”

“…The social contexts of adolescence and adulthood are very different, and it is likely loneliness is conceptualised dissimilarly according to the age at which it is experienced [1]. However, the most frequently used measures of loneliness for adolescents have been informed only by research investigating the experiences and conceptualisations of loneliness in adulthood, and missing from the development of those measures are the voices of adolescents [2]. That has implications for current interventions for adolescents who report loneliness because they neglect to consider how interventional strategies that are beneficial in adulthood may be incongruent within the contexts of adolescence [3].…”

Would the Real Loneliness Please Stand Up? The Validity of Loneliness Measures and the Reliability of Single Items

“…While several studies have investigated psychometric properties of multiple loneliness measures for children and adolescents (Cole et al, 2021;Goossens & Beyers, 2002;Maes et al, 2017), studies on loneliness measures for adults have only compared two measures at once (Borys & Perlman, 1985;Cacioppo et al, 2006;Hughes et al, 2004;Iecovich, 2013;Shiovitz-Ezra & Ayalon, 2012;Victor et al, 2005;von Soest et al, 2020), with a particular focus on the UCLA-LS. However, examining the convergent validity of multiple measures is important to ensure that all those measures capture inter-individual differences in the same construct (Cronbach & Meehl, 1955).…”