A systematic review evaluating loneliness assessment instruments in older adults

César Bugallo-Carrera; Carlos Dosil-Díaz; Luis Anido-Rifón; Moisés Pacheco-Lorenzo; Manuel J Fernández-Iglesias; Manuel Gandoy-Crego

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1101462

A systematic review evaluating loneliness assessment instruments in older adults

Front Psychol. 2023 Apr 25:14:1101462. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1101462. eCollection 2023.

Authors

César Bugallo-Carrera¹, Carlos Dosil-Díaz¹, Luis Anido-Rifón², Moisés Pacheco-Lorenzo², Manuel J Fernández-Iglesias², Manuel Gandoy-Crego³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Developmental Psychology, University of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
² AtlanTTic Research Center, University of Vigo, Vigo, Spain.
³ Department of Psychiatry, Radiology, Public Health, Nursing and Medicine, University of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.

Abstract

Introduction and objectives: The experiences and changes that come along with old age may lead to a feeling of loneliness, usually followed by negative physical and mental manifestations. In this systematic review, we evaluated the existing tools to assess loneliness in older adults.

Methods: We performed a literature search in the Web of Science, Medline, and PsycINFO, following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. After, we examined the psychometric properties of the instruments with a focus on reliability, validity, and main conclusions.

Results: We included 27 articles published between 1996 and 2021.

Conclusion: To date, there are few instruments to assess loneliness in older adults. In general, they present adequate psychometric properties, although it is true that some scales show somewhat low levels of reliability and validity.

Keywords: geriatric; loneliness; loneliness assessment tools; older adults; solitude.

Publication types

Review