De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale (DJG-6)
Psychology: Mental HealthReliability: alpha 0.803 sample items
About this scale
A 6-item measure of loneliness with two subscales: emotional loneliness and social loneliness. Widely used in aging research.
Sample item(s)
“I experience a general sense of emptiness (emotional)”
“I miss having people around (emotional)”
“There are plenty of people I can rely on when I have problems (social, reverse)”
Reliability
Reported internal consistency: alpha 0.80. As a rule of thumb, Cronbach’s α ≥ .70 is considered acceptable, ≥ .80 good, and ≥ .90 excellent for established measures.
Notes
Free for academic use; complement to UCLA Loneliness.
Source & citation
De Jong Gierveld, J., & Van Tilburg, T. (2006): A 6-item scale for overall, emotional, and social loneliness. Research on Aging, Vol. 28, No. 5, pp. 582–598.
Source. Scale details are summarised from the publication cited above. Always consult the original source for the full item set, scoring, and permission to use.
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