title: Development of a community's self-efficacy scale for preventing social isolation among community-dwelling older people (Mimamori Scale).
abstract: Among older people in developed countries, social isolation leading to solitary death has become a public health issue of vital importance. Such isolation could be prevented by monitoring at-risk individuals at the neighborhood level and by implementing supportive networks at the community level. However, a means of measuring community confidence in these measures has not been established. This study is aimed at developing the Community's Self-Efficacy Scale (CSES; Mimamori scale in Japanese) for community members preventing social isolation among older people.
  
  
  
  The CSES is a self-administered questionnaire developed on the basis of Bandura's self-efficacy theory. The survey was given to a general population (GEN) sample (n = 6,000) and community volunteer (CVOL) sample (n = 1,297). Construct validity was determined using confirmatory factor analysis. Internal consistency was calculated using Cronbach's alpha. The Generative Concern Scale (GCS-R) and Brief Sense of Community Scale (BSCS) were also administered to assess criterion-related validity of the CSES.
  
  
  
  In total, 3,484 and 859 valid responses were received in the GEN and CVOL groups, respectively. The confirmatory factor analysis identified eight items from two domains-community network and neighborhood watch-with goodness of fit index = 0.984, adjusted goodness of fit index = 0.970, comparative fit index = 0.988, and root mean square error of approximation = 0.047. Cronbach's alpha for the entire CSES was 0.87 and for the subscales was 0.80 and higher. The score of the entire CSES was positively correlated with the GCS-R in both the GEN (r = 0.80, p < 0.001) and CVOL (r = 0.86, p < 0.001) samples.
  
  
  
  The CSES demonstrated adequate reliability and validity for assessing a community's self-efficacy to aid in its preventing social isolation among older people. The scale is potentially useful for promoting health policies, practices, and interventions within communities. This may help prevent social isolation among older people and contribute to overall well-being in aging societies in Japan and abroad.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Health Nursing, Faculty of Medicine, Yokohama City University, 3-9 Fukuura, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 236-0004, Japan. e_tadaka@yokohama-cu.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Etsuko
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-4001-5018
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tadaka
authors.affiliation: Department of Home Health Care Nursing, School of Nursing, Osaka City University, 1-5-17 Asahi, Abeno-ku, Osaka, 545-0051, Japan.
authors.forename: Ayumi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kono
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Health Nursing, Faculty of Medicine, Yokohama City University, 3-9 Fukuura, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 236-0004, Japan.
authors.forename: Eriko
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.affiliation: Department of Home Health Care Nursing, School of Nursing, Osaka City University, 1-5-17 Asahi, Abeno-ku, Osaka, 545-0051, Japan.
authors.forename: Yukiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kanaya
authors.affiliation: Kamakura Women's University, 6-1-3 Ōfuna, Kamakura, Kanagawa, 247-0056, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Dai
authors.affiliation: Soka University, 1-236 Tangi-machi, Hachioji, Tokyo, 192-8577, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Imamatsu
authors.affiliation: Teikyo University of Science, 2-2-1 Senjusakuragi, Adachi-ku, Tokyo, 120-0045, Japan.
authors.forename: Waka
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Itoi
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D019058:Community Networks; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D057187:Independent Living / Q000523:psychology*; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D020377:Self Efficacy; D012934:Social Isolation; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Community networking; Elderly; Neighborhood; Scale development; Self-efficacy; Social isolation