Loneliness:
Emotional Loneliness, Social Loneliness

  

 

Loneliness:
General Information

When?

Time 1

Time 2

Time 3

Time 4

Time 5

Time 6

Time 7

Where?
Intensive Protocol
(IP)
 -
Intake Assessment
(EE)

Intensive Protocol
(IP)
Intake Assessment
(EE)

Intensive Protocol
(IP)
Intensive Protocol
(IP)
Intensive Protocol
(IP)
Intake Assessment
(EE)

Questionnaire
IP:
Self and Personality
pp. 3, 4
-
EE:
Intake Assessment
p. 14

IP:
Self and Personality
pp. 3, 4
EE:
Intake Assessment
p. 14

IP:
Self and Personality
pp. 3, 4
IP:
Self and Personality
pp. 1, 2
IP:
Self and Personality
pp. 1, 2
EE:
Intake Assessment
pp. 8, 9

SIR Data bank 
IP:
Psycho 
rec/table 1 (P1data)

rec/table 2 (P1const) 
 -
EE:
ZPK
rec/table 220 (z3ee89)

IP:
Psycho
rec/table 201 (P3data)

rec/table 202 (P3const) 
EE:
ZPK
rec/table 320 (z4ee89)

IP:
Psycho
rec/table 301 (P4data)

rec/table 302 (P4const) 
IP:
Psycho
rec/table 401 (P5data)

rec/table 402 (P5const) 
IP:
Psycho
rec/table 501 (P6data)

rec/table 502 (P6const) 
EE:
ZKP
rec/table 610 (Z7ee)

To assess loneliness, eight items were selected from the revised UCLA-Loneliness Scale (Russell, Cutrona, Rose &, Yurko, 1984). These items refer to the concepts of social (four items) and emotional (four items) loneliness (cf. Weiss, 1982). Responses were given on a five-point Likert-Scale (5 labeled as "applies very well to me", 1 as "does not apply to me at all"). Some items were recoded (r) so that higher scores on every item indicate greater feelings of loneliness.
At Time 2, two of the eight items (item #'s 1, and 5), one item indicating social, and one item emotional loneliness, were included in the intake assessment (EE). Again, responses were given on a five-point Likert Scale (5 rated as "applies very well to me", 1 as "does not apply to me at all"). Participants who did not understand this scale could answer the questions by simply saying "yes" (=1) or "no" (=2).

Literature: Smith & Baltes, 1996, 1999; Smith, Fleeson, Geiselmann, Settersen, & Kunzmann, 1996, 1999; Staudinger, Freund, Linden, & Maas, 1996, 1999; Wietzker, 1996.

 

 

Loneliness:
UCLA-LS Items used in BASE

Note:
According to the design, IP variable names for Time 1 have the prefix p1, names for Time 3 have the prefix p3,
names for Time 4 have the prefix p4, and names for Time 5 have the prefix p5.
Some items were assessed at Times 3 and 4 in the intake assessment (EE), too. These EE variable names are for Time 3: z3e53bx1/x2 and z3e54bx1/x2, for Time 4: z4e53bx1/x2 and z4e54bx1/x2 (if the item was answered on the five-point scale it has the suffix x1;
if it was answered on the simplified dichotomous scale, the suffix is x2), and for Time 6: z6e53bx1/x2.
Names for T7 have the prefix p7 although the data were administrated in the intake assessment.


Original items

Translation used in BASE

Variable names
Time 1

Variable names
Time 3

Variable names
Time 4

Variable names
Time 5

Variable names
Time 6

Variable names
Time 7

1. 

I do not feel alone. 

Ich fühle mich allein (r). *
p1dlon
p3dlon1

z3e53bx1 /x2
p4dlon1

z4e53bx1 /x2
+
p6dlon1

z6e53bx1 /x2
z7e53bx1

2. 

I lack companionship. 

Ich habe wenig Gesellschaft (r). 
p1dlon2
+
+
+
+
+

3. 

There are people I feel close to. 

Es gibt Menschen, die mir nahe stehen. 
p1dlon3
+
+
+
+
+

4. 

I feel isolated. 

Ich fühle mich isoliert. (r)
p1dlon4
+
+
+
+
+

5. 

There are people I can turn to. 

Es gibt Personen, an die ich mich vertrauensvoll wenden kann. 
p1dlon5
p3dlon5

z3e54bx1 /x2
p4dlon5

z4e54bx1 /x2
+
p6dlon5
p7dlon5

6. 

I feel left out. 

Ich fühle mich ausgeschlossen. (r) 
p1dlon6
+
+
+
+
+

7. 

I feel part of a group of friends. 

Ich fühle mich einem Bekanntenkreis zugehörig. 
p1dlon7
+
+
+
+
+

8. 

There are people I can talk to. 

Es gibt Menschen, mit denen ich offen sprechen kann. 
p1dlon8
+
+
+
+
+

* Double-negatives were avoided in the translation.
(r) recoded

 

 

Loneliness:
Raw Constructs Created in BASE

Note:
According to the design, names for Time 1 have the prefix p1, names for Time 3 have the prefix p3,
names for Time 4 have the prefix p4, names for Time 5 have the prefix p5, names for
Time 6 have the prefix p6, and names for Time 7 have the prefix p7.

Constructs 

Construct names
Time 1

Construct names
Time 3

Construct names
Time 4

Construct names
Time 5

Construct names
Time 6

Construct names
Time 7

Emotional loneliness

1. 

p1dlonle

p3clonle

p4clonle
p5clonle

p6clonle
p7clonle

Raw mean (items 1, 2, 4, 6) 

2. 

p1clon1

p3clon1f

p4clon1f
p5clon1f

p6clon1f
p7clon1f

Factor score: mean (LISREL parcels 1, 2, 3) 

3. 

p1dlon1

z3e53bx1

z4e53bx1
z5e53bx1

z6e53bx1
z7e53bx1

Single item measure (item 1*)

Social loneliness 

1. 

p1dlonls

p3clonls

p4dlonls
p5dlonls

p6dlonls
p7dlonls

Raw mean (items 3, 5, 7, 8) 

2. 

p1clon2

p3clon2f

p4clon2f
p5clon2f

p6clon2f
p7clon2f

Factor score: mean (LISREL parcels 1, 2, 3) 

3. 

p1dlon5

z3e54bx1

z4e54bx1 
z5e54bx1

z6e54bx1 
z7e54bx1

Single item measure (item 5*)

* If the item has been answered on the five-point scale, it has the suffix x1; if it has been answered on the simplified dichotomous scale, the suffix is x2.

 

 

 

Additional Information:
Loneliness Constructs Created in BASE

Note:
According to the design, names for Time 1 have the prefix p1, names for Time 3 have the prefix p3,
names for Time 4 have the prefix p4, names for Time 5 have the prefix p5, names for
Time 6 have the prefix p6, and names for Time 7 have the prefix p7.

Constructs 

Construct names
Time 1

Construct names
Time 3

Construct names
Time 4

Construct names
Time 5

Construct names
Time 6

Construct names
Time 7

Emotional loneliness 

2a. 

p1cln1p1

p3cln1p1

p4cln1p1

p5cln1p1

p6cln1p1

p7cln1p1

LISREL parcel 1: mean (items 4, 6)

2b. 

p1cln1p2

p3cln1p2

p4cln1p2

p5cln1p2

p6cln1p2

p7cln1p2

LISREL parcel 2: mean (item 2)

2c. 

p1cln1p3

p3cln1p3

p4cln1p3

p5cln1p3

p6cln1p3

p7cln1p3

LISREL parcel 2: mean (item 1)

Social loneliness 

2a. 

p1cln2p1

p3cln2p1

p4cln2p1

p5cln2p1

p6cln2p1

p7cln2p1

LISREL parcel 1*: mean (items 7, 8)

2b. 

p1cln2p2

p3cln2p2

p4cln2p2

p5cln2p2

p6cln2p2

p7cln2p2

LISREL parcel 2*: mean (item 3)

2c. 

p1cln2p3

p3cln2p3

p4cln2p3

p5cln2p3

p6cln2p3

p7cln2p3

LISREL parcel 3*: mean (item 5)

*Before calculating the factor score, the LISREL parcels for social loneliness were (a) standardized to M = 3, SD = 1, and (b) transformed by taking the square root.
 
For further information please read the technical documentation of the self and personality interview at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development.