De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale - Short Version: Validation for the Brazilian Context

1 Paidéia 2018, Vol. 28, e2805. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/1982-4327e2805 ISSN 1982-4327 (online version) Psychological Evaluation De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale - Short Version: Validation for the Brazilian Context1 Gabriel Lins de Holanda Coelho Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom Patrícia Nunes da Fonseca Universidade Federal da Paraíba, João Pessoa-PB, Brazil Lukas Jarmo Wolf University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom Valdiney Veloso Gouveia² Universidade Federal da Paraíba, João Pessoa-PB, Brazil Roosevelt Vilar Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand Abstract: Individuals who experience a state of loneliness may feel that their needs of belonging are unfulfilled, suffering a state of social deprivation that might affect their well-being. For a better understanding, three studies (N = 939) aimed to adapt the short version of the De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale to Brazil. In Studies 1 and 2, exploratory and confirmatory analyses corroborated the expected two correlated factors structure: emotional and social. Evidences of convergent validity and factorial invariance between genders were also observed. Study 3 verified the instrument’s psychometric properties through Item Response Theory (IRT) and the results showed that the items presented acceptable levels of difficulty, discriminated participants with similar levels of aptitude/ endorsement and indicated that both factors of the measure presented substantial information for a wide range of the latent trait. We conclude that this measure is psychometrically suitable for use in Brazil. Keywords: loneliness, scaling, measurement Escala de Solidão de De Jong Gierveld - Versão Reduzida: Validação para o Contexto Brasileiro Resumo: Indivíduos que vivenciam um estado de solidão podem sentir uma incompletude em suas necessidades de pertença, acarretando um estado de privação social que pode afetar o seu bem-estar. Para melhor entendimento, três estudos (N = 939) objetivaram adaptar a versão reduzida da Escala de Solidão de De Jong Gierveld para o Brasil. Nos estudos 1 e 2, análises exploratória e confirmatória corroboraram a estrutura esperada de dois fatores correlacionados: emocional e social. Também se observaram evidências de validade convergente e invariância fatorial entre os gêneros. O estudo 3 avaliou as propriedades psicométricas da medida por meio da Teoria de Resposta ao Item (TRI) e indicou que os itens da escala apresentam níveis de dificuldade satisfatórios, discriminam participantes com níveis próximos de aptidão/endosso e sugerem que os fatores encontrados apresentam informações substanciais para uma larga porção do traço latente. Conclui-se que a medida é psicometricamente adequada para utilização no Brasil. Palavras-chave: solidão, escalas, medidas Escala de Soledad de De Jong Gierveld - Versión Reducida: Validación al Contexto Brasileño Resumen: Los individuos que experimentan un estado de soledad pueden sentir que sus necesidades de pertenencia se encuentran incompletas, sufriendo un estado de privación social que puede afectar su bienestar. Para una mejor comprensión del tema, fueron realizados tres estudios (N = 939) que tuvieron como objetivo adaptar la versión reducida de la Escala de Soledad de De Jong Gierveld al contexto brasileño. En los Estudios 1 y 2, los análisis exploratorio y confirmatorio corroboraron la estructura esperada de los factores emocional y social, relacionados entre sí. También fueron observadas pruebas de validez convergente y conservación factorial entre géneros. El Estudio 3 evaluó las propiedades psicométricas de la medida mediante la Teoría de Respuesta al Ítem (TRI) e indicó que los ítems de la escala presentan niveles satisfactorios de dificultad y discriminan participantes con niveles similares de aptitud/aprobación. Además, sugieren que los factores determinados contienen información significativa para una gran parte del rasgo latente. Se concluye que la medida es psicométricamente adecuada para su uso en Brasil. Palabras claves: soledad, escala, pruebas psicométricas Support: Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES - Proc. 99999.013718/2013-04) and National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq - Grant 206803/2014-1), for the Doctoral scholarship provided to the first and fifth authors, respectively. 1 Correspondence address: Universidade Federal da Paraíba. Departamento de Psicologia. João Pessoa-PB, Brazil. CEP 58.051-900. E-mail: 2 Available in www.scielo.br/paideia Humans naturally have a strong need to belong, which constitutes a fundamental motivation in their lives. This need to belong and to establish relations with others is so pervasive that it influences people’s thoughts, emotions and behaviours, resulting in one of the most important indicators of individual well-being (Baumeister & Leary, 1995). That 1 Paidéia, 28, e2805 is, the fulfilment of this need for relationships helps the development of a better quality of life (Jong-Gierveld & Van Tilburg, 2010). The individuals who experience a state of loneliness may feel that their need to belong is unsatisfied, presenting a state of social deprivation (Baumeister & Leary, 1995), which has shown to be somewhat common in real life (Hawkley & Cacioppo, 2010; Pinquart & Sorensen, 2001). Jong-Gierveld and Van Tilburg (2010) found that loneliness should be studied as a subjective state, a cognitive assessment of participation and social isolation of the individual, and which should be considered as an expression of negative feelings that can be manifested at any stage of life. Therefore, the opposite of the feeling of loneliness would be to feel incorporated in a group. It is important to point out, however, that a person who is alone is not always in a state of loneliness, and a person who participates in a particular group will not necessarily feel part of it (Hawkley & Cacioppo, 2010). Peplau and Perlman (1982) say loneliness is an aversive state experienced when there is a difference between the interpersonal relationships the person desires and what s/he actually has. This discrepancy shows a deficiency in relationships, both on a quantitative and qualitative level. In particular, Jong-Gierveld and Van Tilburg (2010) claimed that loneliness arises when people feel there is a lack of quality in their relationships, where the individual considers that the number of intimate relations is lower than desirable or allowable. For a better understanding of the phenomenon, Weiss (1973) made a distinction between two different components of loneliness: (1) Emotional Loneliness, which may develop when there is a lack of a more intimate relationship (e.g., partner, best friend, family). This type of loneliness often occurs, for example, after the divorce or death of a beloved person, and it is characterized by a strong sense of emptiness, abandonment and helplessness; and (2) Social Loneliness, which is related to group interests or (...truncated)