Validating the 11-Item Revised University of California Los Angeles Scale to Assess Loneliness Among Older Adults: An Evaluation of Factor Structure and Other Measurement Properties

Objective: To examine the measurement properties and factor structure of the short version of the Revised University of California Los Angeles (R-UCLA) loneliness scale from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS). Methods: Based on data from 3,706 HRS participants aged 65 + who completed the 2012 wave of the HRS and its Psychosocial Supplement, the measurement properties and factorability of the R-UCLA were examined by conducting an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) on randomly split halves. Results: The average score for the 11-item loneliness scale was 16.4 (standard deviation: 4.5). An evaluation of the internal consistency produced a Cronbach's a of 0.87. Results from the EFA showed that two-and three-factor models were appropriate. However, based on the results of the CFA, only a two-factor model was determined to be suitable because there was a very high correlation between two factors identified in the three-factor model, available social connections and sense of belonging. Conclusion: This study provides important data on the properties of the 11-item R-UCLA scale by identifying a two-factor model of loneliness: feeling isolated and available social connections. Our findings suggest the 11-item R-UCLA has good factorability and internal reliability.