Validation of the Chinese translation of the 6-item De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale in elderly Chinese.
BACKGROUND
This study aims to develop and validate a Chinese translation of the 6-item De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale - a widely used instrument to measure loneliness - specifically determining its psychometric properties in community-dwelling Chinese elders in Hong Kong. The relationships between loneliness and several clinical variables are also assessed.


METHODS
The English version was translated into Chinese. Content validity was established by group discussion and Delphi panel. The questionnaire was administered to 103 Hong Kong Chinese community-dwelling elders. Statistical analysis was performed to test the reliability and validity of the scale.


RESULTS
The content validity was high as shown by the results of the Delphi panel. Cronbach's alpha of the 6-item scale was 0.76. For the inter-rater reliability of the six items, the intra-class correlation coefficients ranged from 0.98 to 1.00. The emotional loneliness subscale significantly correlated with the social loneliness subscale (rho = 0.37; p < 0.001). In using a direct question to measure loneliness, 21 participants (20%) reported that they were lonely. The overall loneliness scale score significantly correlated with the answers on the direct question of loneliness (rpb = 0.71; p < 0.001). The overall loneliness score showed significant correlation with Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia (rho = 0.29; p = 0.003), current smoking status (rpb = 0.24; p = 0.014), and some objective social characteristics.


CONCLUSIONS
The Chinese version of the 6-item De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale is a reliable and valid measure of loneliness in Chinese elders.
Leung
Grace Tak Yu
GT
Department of Psychiatry, Tai Po Hospital, HKSAR, China. schroederleung@yahoo.com.hk
de Jong Gierveld
Jenny
J
Lam
Linda Chiu Wa
LC
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D044466:Asian People / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D003704:Dementia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005852:Geriatric Psychiatry; D006723:Hong Kong / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008132:Loneliness / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D008609:Mental Status Schedule / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008875:Middle Aged; D009735:Nursing Homes; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012944:Social Support; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014175:Translating