Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Dec:306:114217.
doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2021.114217. Epub 2021 Oct 8.

A systematic review of loneliness and social isolation scales used in epidemics and pandemics

Aparna Das  1 , Kalpana P Padala  2 , Christina G Crawford  3 , Alan Teo  4 , Diana M Mendez  5 , Olive A Phillips  3 , Benjamin C Wright  3 , Samuel House  3 , Prasad R Padala  6
Affiliations

A systematic review of loneliness and social isolation scales used in epidemics and pandemics

Aparna Das et al. Psychiatry Res. 2021 Dec.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has heightened social isolation and loneliness. There is a lack of consensus on rating scales to measure these constructs. Our objectives were to identify commonly used loneliness and social isolation scales over the last two decades and test their user characteristics. 7928 articles were searched in PubMed/MEDLINE, CINAHL, Web of Science, and APA PsychINFO databases. 41 articles were included based on study criteria. Among fourteen scales reported, UCLA 3-item loneliness scale was found to be most commonly used. The scale is specifically developed for telephone use and is the fastest taking less than a minute for self-administration.

Keywords: Loneliness; Rating scales; Social isolation.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

None

References

    1. Administration, Health Resources & Services 'The "loneliness epidemic. Health Res. Services Admin. 2019 https://www.hrsa.gov/enews/past-issues/2019/january-17/loneliness-epidemic
    1. Bloom D.E., Cadarette D. Infectious disease threats in the twenty-first century: strengthening the global response. Front. Immunol. 2019;10:549. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Cetron M., Simone P. Battling 21st-century scourges with a 14th-century toolbox. Emerg. Infect. Dis. 2004;10:2053–2054. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Gierveld J.D.J., Tilburg T.V. A 6-item scale for overall, emotional, and social loneliness: confirmatory tests on survey data. Res. Aging. 2006;28:582–598.
    1. Hawthorne G. Measuring social isolation in older adults: development and initial validation of the friendship scale. Soc. Indic. Res. 2006;77:521–548.

Publication types