Development and psychometric evaluation of the loneliness inventory for older adults (Lonely): A mixed-methods study.
Razieh Bandari, Farahnaz Mohammadi Shahboulaghi, Hamidreza Khankeh and 2 others
PMID 34198367WHAT IT FOUND
A new 29-item loneliness questionnaire for older adults showed good agreement with an established loneliness scale and stable scores over two weeks.
It takes 10 to 15 minutes and may help nurses screen older people, but it does not test loneliness interventions.
Key findings
01The final inventory had 29 items and five dimensions: decreased social capacity, disappointment and uselessness, inefficient interactions, psychological suffering, and experiencing loneliness at certain times.
02The total score agreed with the UCLA loneliness scale and remained stable after two weeks in 50 participants.
03Older adults completed the inventory in 10 to 15 minutes.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was done in Tehran, Iran, with convenience sampling, so the scale may not behave the same way in other countries, cultures or healthcare systems. Data were collected during the COVID-19 epidemic, and a third of the sample was collected online, which may have excluded some older people. Participants had to have no hearing or vision deficit by self-report, no cognitive decline, and a mental test score of seven or higher, so results do not apply to older adults with those conditions. The paper validates a questionnaire; it does not show that screening with it improves care, reduces loneliness, or identifies people who need intervention. The qualitative phase reports inconsistent participant counts: 11 experts and 14 older adults in methods, but 16 participants in results.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that this inventory has been shown to improve older adults' loneliness or health. It was validated in Iranian older adults using convenience sampling and some online collection during COVID-19, and it measures self-reported loneliness rather than tested outcomes.