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
. 2024 Aug 9;24(1):2162.
doi: 10.1186/s12889-024-19237-8.

The positive solitude scale (PS): psychometric properties among Chinese older

Zhiguang Fan  1 , Huilin Cai  2 , Xiaoli Shi  3 , Ningyao Yu  1 , Lei Chen  4
Affiliations

The positive solitude scale (PS): psychometric properties among Chinese older

Zhiguang Fan et al. BMC Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: Positive solitude, taken as a meaningful activity, contributes to the improvement of health, well-being, and quality of life of older adults. The purpose of this study was to examine the reliability and validity of the Positive Solitude Scale (PS) among Chinese older to provide a reference for related research.

Methods: A convenience sample of 608 older people from 10 provinces in China was used to conduct the survey.

Results: The Chinese version of the PS consisted of 9 items with a unidimensional structure, which could explain 60.91% of the variance. The factor loadings of each item ranged from 0.67 to 0.82, and the communality ranged from 0.44 to 0.68. The confirmatory factor analysis showed good model fit (χ2/df = 2.771, RMSEA = 0.076, CFI = 0.972, IFI = 0.972, TLI = 0.959, PNFI = 0.665, PCFI = 0.675). It was found from the criterion-related validity test that PS scores were significantly and positively correlated with Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS), Autonomy, Competence, and Relatedness scores (r = 0.45 to 0.44); PS scores were significantly and negatively correlated with Short-Form UCLA Loneliness Scale (ULS-6), Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10), Ego Depletion Scale (EDS), and Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-2nd Edition (AAQ-II) (r = -0.27 to -0.36). The Cronbach's α coefficient value for the scale was 0.917; the split-half reliability coefficient value was 0.928. In addition, the PS showed cross-gender consistency.

Conclusions: The PS presented favorable psychometric characteristics in older people, which can be used as a valid tool for assessing older people's positive solitude.

Keywords: Older people; Positive solitude; Reliability; Validity.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

References

    1. Wang R, Liu Y, Liu S, Chen H, Yu X, Xu C, et al. Relationships of work stress and interpersonal needs with industrial workers’ mental health: a moderated mediation model. BMC Public Health. 2023;23:1341. 10.1186/s12889-023-16002-1 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Buchholz ES, Catton R. Adolescents’ perceptions of aloneness and loneliness. Adolescence. 1999;34:203–13. - PubMed
    1. Weinstein N, Hansen H, Nguyen T. Definitions of Solitude in Everyday Life. Pers Soc Psychol Bull. 2023;49(12):1663–78. 10.1177/01461672221115941 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. McVarnock A, Cheng T, Polakova L, Coplan RJ. Are you alone? Measuring solitude in childhood, adolescence, and emerging adulthood. Front Psychiatry. 2023;14:1179677. 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1179677 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Hoppmann CA, Pauly T. A lifespan psychological perspective on solitude. Int J Behav Dev. 2022;46:473–80.10.1177/01650254221130279 - DOI

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources