Validation of the Portuguese version of the social isolation scale with a sample of community-dwelling older adults

Objectives: The aim of this study was to analyze the psychometric properties (reliability and validity) of the Social Isolation Scale (SIS) in a sample of Portuguese community-dwelling older adults. Methods: A transversal descriptive study was carried out with a convenience sample of 250 communitydwelling older adults (>= 65 years). The survey comprised a sociodemographic questionnaire, SIS, Geriatric Depression Scale-4 (GDS-4), 6-item Lubben Social Network Scale (LSNS-6), a loneliness self-assessment question, and Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS). Construct validity (confirmatory factor analysis) and convergent validity were analyzed, and ISI internal reliability (composite reliability), external reliability (test-retest, intraclass correlation coefficient) and inter-rater reliability (Cohen's kappa coefficient) were evaluated. Results: Confirmatory factor analysis showed a two-factor model with an excellent index of fit. The SIS showed significant correlations with LSNS-6 (rs = 0.47), SWLS (rs = 0.26), the loneliness self-assessment question (rs = 0.35), and GDS-4 (rs = -0.16). SIS composite reliability was good (0.708). The inter-class correlation coefficient varied from 0.84 to 0.98. The Cohen's kappa coefficient ranged from 0.936 to 1. Conclusions: SIS has been shown to be a valid and reliable instrument for assessing social isolation among Portuguese community-dwelling older adults. Healthcare professionals, particularly nurses working in community settings, can use SIS to assess social isolation in older adults to design, implement, and evaluate interventions. (c) 2023 The authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of the Chinese Nursing Association. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Automated summary

This study aimed to analyze the psychometric properties of the Social Isolation Scale (SIS) in a sample of Portuguese community-dwelling older adults. The results showed that the SIS is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing social isolation among Portuguese community-dwelling older adults.